Further Misadventures of the Mentally Unstable
by Melodist
Summary: The wackiness continues as Austin's old life begins to catch up with her. Can the guys keep her safe from the demons in her past, and more importantly... from herself?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I own Austin, and Terri, and lots of other characters... but sadly, still not the turtles. I think y'all know which ones are mine by now.

**Author Notes:** I know Mona Lisa Smile isn't completed yet, but I've been itching to work on Misadventures some more. This is proving to be a lot more difficult, though. I have very little time to  
write. Uhg.

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**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Prologue**

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"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon." Terri said softly and smiled at her daughter. She and Austin sat cross-legged in front of a crackling fire, the flashes of flame illuminating the stone hearth. The smell of freshly baked cinnamon bread still hung in the air, even though the bread itself was long gone. Mother and daughter had forsaken the image of dietary restraint and downed the whole loaf in one sitting. Some of it they'd toasted in the fire, and some they'd just eaten plain. …And more than a little had been had by Terri's German Shepherd, Arturo. Arturo had been more than happy to gobble down every piece that was offered and he was now laying next to Austin, his tummy full, and his tongue hanging out of his mouth in obvious contentedness.

Austin gently scratched the dog's head as she sighed and looked at her mom. "You know I'd love to stay… but I really need to get back. It's been a month and I told Doris I'd only be gone for a couple weeks." Seeing the disappointed look that Terri was desperately trying to hide, Austin continued quickly. "I'll be back for New Year's though, don't worry."

Terri nodded in understanding. "I know, honey. It just feels like you only got here a short time ago."

Austin abandoned the stroking of Arturo's head and leaned forward unexpectedly, wrapping her arms around Terri. There was a pop from the fire as they embraced, and Austin had to wipe a tear from her eye behind her mother's back. The last month had been good, but there was still so much that they wanted to share with each other. But Austin knew she'd been away from New York City too long. Her business (she still hadn't gotten over that… _her_ business) needed tending to, and she had to see if there was anything left between her and Raphael that was worth salvaging.

Raphael. She hadn't called him. After the first week, she'd meant to… just to tell him everything was alright. But every time she went to the phone, little excuses popped up that made her put the phone back down without dialing. _It's too late there; I should wait til the morning to call_. Or, _I really should talk to him in person… this isn't a 'phone' issue_. Or, _He's probably still mad at me, and it will only piss him off more if I call. _Or, _I miss him so much and if I call and hear his voice I'll burst out crying and begging him to forgive me and look like a complete fool and he'll hang up on me because I'm loony as hell and he should have known better than to get involved with someone like me_. The last excuse was the one that won out most of the time.

After a week of picking up the phone and putting it back down, Terri's voice had finally startled her from the doorway. "Honey, just call him. I'm sure whatever it is, you two can work it out." Austin's startled, yet somewhat blank look had made her mother smile. "I was young once too. I remember what it was like."

Austin had managed to get out a confused "Uhhh…" and then Terri broke in again.

"Or… is it a 'her'?" Her voice had been cautious but not accusing, and Austin hadn't been quite sure how to respond to that. Did her mother think she was gay?

"I… no. No, it's a guy…" _Kind of…_, she'd thought to herself. "But… I… I sorta left town without saying goodbye… I mean, I left him a letter, but…"

After hearing the bare basics of Austin's relationship with Raph, Terri had been gently hinting that she needed to call and get it over with, but Austin never had. So the trip back to New York was a mixture of hope and fear. If Raphael had moved on and didn't want her anymore, then it was no one's fault but her own.

Finally pulling away from each other, Terri clasped Austin's hand and squeezed it gently. "You've got an early flight tomorrow, hon. We should probably get to sleep soon."

Nodding her agreement, Austin stood and stretched out her stiff muscles. She was definitely going to miss this house. The house she'd thought she never wanted to sit foot in again, and now she didn't want to leave; all those ugly childhood memories she'd thought would haunt her hadn't even showed the slighted interest. There was nothing but good memories here with Terri, and Austin hoped it would always be that way.

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The next morning, Austin was up bright and early. In a manner of speaking. She herself was not a morning person, and the term 'bright' could hardly be used in accordance with her morning mood. As her mother fixed breakfast, Austin hugged a mug of coffee and only answered in grunts when asked what she wanted in her omelet, what kind of toast, how many strawberries on her waffles, and did she want Cheerios or Lucky Charms? 

"Christ, the flight's only a couple hours, I'm not going to starve, Mom." She finally managed to get out after her second cup of hot fresh liquid caffeine.

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain, Austin. And I don't trust that airline food. You're going to eat a good, hot meal now; and I've packed some leftovers from last night's dinner in your bag for on the plane."

"M-o-o-o-o-o-m." Austin whined mockingly. "But all the other kids eat hot airline lunch, why can't I?"

Terri waved a spoon covered in waffle batter at her daughter, who was still sitting at the kitchen table in a faded Eeyore nightshirt and fuzzy pink pig slippers. Tangled brown curls escaped messily from the braid she'd put her hair in the night before, and there was a fixed pout on her face that Terri remembered well from many many years ago.

"You're not even dressed yet, Austin! We need to be out the door in an hour and you're still in your pajamas?"

"I left my clothes out. Don't worry, I'll be ready."

With a sigh of frustration, Terri turned back to the stove and wondered what side of the family Austin had inherited her laziness from. "Well, it's a good thing I already packed your carry-on last night. I swear I don't know how you've lived on your own all this time." There was a sizzle from the waffle iron as Terri poured the batter in and the smell of butter and vanilla filled the air.

"Eh, I get by. I just hire hookers once a week to do dishes and laundry." Austin stretched out and gave a little yawn. "It's cheaper than a maid service."

Terri made a disgusted sound but didn't turn around. "Sometimes I don't know if you're joking or serious, Austin. It makes me wonder just what the hell you're doing in New York."

"Don't say 'hell' Mom; it's not ladylike."

"I'll say 'hell' if I damn well please." A fake gasp from the table made Terri roll her eyes.

"Language, Mother! Language!" Austin snickered as she poured herself a third cup of coffee from the carafe that had been conveniently placed within reach so she wouldn't have to get up over and over. Hearing the steady stream of coffee into the oversized mug, Terri finally turned to look at Austin. That was just one more thing that wasn't familiar to her. Neither her nor Bill had ever drank coffee, so where Austin picked it up she'd never know.

Feeling eyes on her, Austin glanced up to see the thoughtful, yet somewhat sad, expression on her mother's face. "Mom?"

A melancholy smile met Austin's query. "It's nothing, dear. I was just thinking…" Her voice trailed off in that way that bugged the hell out of Austin and almost everyone else in the known world.

"Thinking about _what_?"

"Just… how different you are from Susan." A small blush of color swept Terri's cheeks at the mention of her biological daughter.

"Ah…" Austin went silent for a moment.

The subject of Susan wasn't quite comfortable territory yet. They'd talked briefly about her, but both knew that she wasn't really a part of their lives anymore. She wasn't Terri's daughter, and she wasn't Austin's mother. She was just Susan. Someone who had been, but no longer was. Still, this was the first time Terri had actually made any comparison between her and Austin.

"Oh sweetie, it's not a bad thing." Terri was quick to reassure when she saw the tight look on her daughter's face. "It's not a bad thing at all, trust me. You're just… two completely different people. In fact… it's almost like…" Her voice trailed off again, but this time it was a thoughtful silence, and she picked up again almost right away. "You know who you're like, Austin? Grandma Bridger… Bill's mother. Do you remember her?"

Setting her cup down, the younger woman looked into its depths pensively. There was a vague memory of Grandma Bridger, but nothing solid. Of course, she hadn't seen her grandmother since she was four years old, so that would explain the fuzziness around her memory. Shortly after Austin was taken to California, Rosemary Bridger had died in a car crash. Her obituary had been in one of the memory albums that Terri kept in the den, and Austin had found it one night as she sat trying to distract her thoughts from Raphael.

Yet there was something… odd about the memories she did have of her grandma. Something… important. All Austin could think was that she was missing something significant and as soon as she figured out what that something was, everything would make sense. …But that in itself didn't make sense, so it had been driving her crazy ever since she'd come across the headlines and been reminded of someone she'd forgotten long ago.

Shaking her head slowly, Austin said "No… no, I don't really remember her."

"Pity… she really loved you, you know. In fact…" For the third time in less then as many minutes, Terri trailed off. "Oh dear… Oh, I'd forgotten!" Apparently she'd forgotten that she was making waffles as well, because without another word Terri rushed out of the kitchen, the mixing spoon still in her hand dripping batter on the linoleum, and then on hard wood as she crossed into the living room. Arturo didn't forget. He'd been quietly sitting at Austin's side waiting for handouts, but now he trailed happily after his 'mommy' licking up the spilled batter as best he could. A dog's life was so tough sometimes.

Austin however, just watched her mother with a blank stare then shrugged and took another sip of coffee. It was becoming fairly obvious which side of the family her scatterbrained-ness came from.

When Terri finally returned to the kitchen ten minutes later, there was a happy little satisfied look on her face that made Austin raise an eyebrow and a fork in her direction. "It's a good thing I was here," she said casually, "otherwise this waffle would have died. I saved it though, don't worry." Stuffing a bite in her mouth, Austin pointed her fork in her mother's direction. "What were you doing that was so important, that this poor waffle was almost left to perish because of your irresponsibility?"

After a month of her daughter's dry and sometimes weird sense of humor, Terri thought she was finally getting used to it. Rolling her eyes and giving an exasperated, slightly exaggerated sigh, Terri set to work in the kitchen again. "There was something I had to find really quickly. I can't believe I forgot it! Well, yes I suppose I can. I mean, it has been almost ten years now hasn't it? Time sure flies, doesn't it Austin? It seems like just yesterday-"

Austin groaned slightly to her self and half tuned her mother out while she polished off the waffle and took another large sip of coffee. It was still a bit too early in the morning to be taking strolls down memory lane and to be honest, she really didn't care what her mother had been up to. All she really wanted was to crawl back in bed and not think about going home. Home. Raphael. One more thing she didn't want to think about. Well, actually she _did_, and that was the problem. How could she find the courage to call him once she got home if she didn't have the courage to do it from half a continent away?

If he was still interested in her, he'd come back to her place surely. And that was even worse! For him to come back and find her there, knowing that she hadn't called him to tell him she was coming back. He'd think she didn't want to see him… and that was the farthest thing from the truth. It was all so confusing.

Had he even come back to her loft after he found the letter? _God, I hope so_, Austin thought idly. _And if he did, I hope he cleaned out the fridge… I forgot to do it before I left._ With another small groan, she thought of the carton of milk that was probably still sitting in the door of the fridge. And the remnants from that last lunch she'd shared with Raphael on the couch; half of a ham sandwich and a bowl of cheesy broccoli soup. Add to that the leftover Chinese take-out that had been sitting in the bottom of the fridge since before she'd even _met_ Raph… It would take an exorcist to banish _that_ smell from her refrigerator once she got home. Austin shuddered to think of it.

"Well?" The voice ripped Austin out of her thoughts and she had to shake her head to clear the images of Raphael in an apron cleaning out her refrigerator with a clothespin over his beak.

"Uh…" She blinked up at her mother. "…what?"

"Austin, didn't you hear anything I just said?" Terri was sitting down at the table finally, a plate of food in front of her. She was neatly cutting her waffle into little squares and giving Austin an exasperated look.

"Um…"

The older woman sighed heavily and shook her head. "I _said_, 'shouldn't you be thinking of getting dressed soon'?"

"Oh. Right. Yah… yah, I suppose I should do that."

Austin finished off her coffee and stood slowly, tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ear as she did so. Despite having drunk three large cups of imported European Roast, she found her self stumbling out of the kitchen and up the mahogany staircase to her bedroom, still not yet fully awake. _I'm definitely not a morning person_, she thought as she struggled to put on her clothes and double check the room to make sure nothing had been forgotten in her hasty packing the night before.

Leaving everything to the last minute seemed to be a specialty of Austin's, and she looked at the phone on her dresser with a twinge of guilt. She still had time to call Raph. Yah, it was even earlier in New York right now, but he wouldn't mind, right? It wasn't too late to tell him that she really was coming back to him. She hesitantly picked up the phone and punched in a few digits, but her finger slowed and started to shake as it got closer to the last number. She finally set the receiver down, the call unfinished, and mentally cursed herself.

_I'm pathetic_, she told herself and sighed heavily. _I'm weak and pathetic and Raphael is never gonna forgive me. How can he, when I can't even forgive myself…?_

* * *

The goodbye at the airport was emotional for both women. Despite the fact that it would only be a few months before Austin returned to Iowa, it seemed like it would be so much longer until they met again; and in the long tradition of parents having trouble letting go, Terri made Austin promise to call as soon as she got home. She didn't, however, yell out loud and ask if Austin had remembered to put on clean underwear before leaving the house, to which Austin was grateful. 

As she walked through the gate, she turned and gave her mother one last wave goodbye, and one last smile. Then she boarded the plane.

Terri stood and watched out the large window until the plane had taxied onto the runway, then she turned and slowly walked through the terminal, her mind in mix of emotions and thoughts. With a small sniffle she wiped a tear from her cheek with one hand, while the other reached into her coat paper and retrieved a small piece of paper. Looking up she spotted a sign that told her down the hall and to the left were a set of payphones.

Making her way to the closest one with a slight flutter in her chest, Terri pulled some change out of her purse and deposited it in the coin slot. She slowly dialed the number on the paper and waited until a voice finally picked up on the other end.

"It's me." She said softly. "Terri Bridger."

She listened to the voice ask a question then nodded and answered with a slight quaver in her voice. "Yes… her plane just left. Flight 246…"

The voice asked another question and she bit her lip. "No… no, she doesn't suspect a thing. I didn't tell her." The voice started to speak, but Terri continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Look, Austin still has some issues to work out, and I know you'll help her. I just… I want to make sure she's going to be okay. You won't… you won't be too harsh with her, will you?"

There was a slight pause, and then a soft reassuring tone came through his voice. Terri nodded at his words, relaxing slightly before responding. "I know… I know. I just… there's so much she didn't tell me. It's a 'mother' thing, I could just tell. She held a lot back. I just want to make sure she gets the help she needs… before she slips away again."

The voice spoke again for a few moments and Terri finally smiled softly. "Good… that's good. And you'll call me and let me know how she's doing?" She nodded again as the voice reassured her. "Thank you." Terri replied and then they both politely said goodbye and hung up.

She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and leaned back against the whitewashed wall next to the payphone. Austin would be in good hands when she returned to New York, she was sure. Her daughter might be upset with her for making these arrangements without her permission, or even her knowledge, but in the end Austin would see that Terri only wanted the best for her daughter. And this man would help her. There was something in his voice that Terri trusted, and she knew that Austin would eventually come to trust him as well.

Satisfied, Terri Bridger tugged her coat a bit tighter around her, and made her way out of the airport terminal and back out into the bright autumn sunshine.

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**After the fic Author's Notes:** Muahaha. Who did Terri call? You'll just have to wait and find out! Cause I'm evil that way. And expect much more turtle-y action in the next chapter. I hope this little Prologue met with your expectations. And if it didn't… then... uh... sorry? Anyway, things just get even more complex and confusing from here! And hopefully I'll be able to put out about a chapter a week. (That's my goal, but we'll see how it goes) 

With this new work schedule of mine, my writing time is almost nonexistent. Odd, since I'm actually working less hours… Oh well. I'll make time.


	2. Miracles and Homecomings

**Disclaimer:** I own not the turtles, but of the Austin; she is mine.

**Author Notes:** Holy crap, people! I got more reviews for the prologue of Further Misadventures than I did for any of the first Misadventures chapters. Guess that means y'all liked it and are wanting more. That rocks my world. Reviews are like crack. Or maybe more like nacho Doritos. You just can't have too many.

**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Chapter 1**

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_italicized_ is a thought

'_italicized quotations'_ is telepathic speech

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'_Dad, can I have one?'_

Jeremy paused in mid stride and looked toward the lavishly decorated display window to which his daughter was pointing and a groan of disappointment escaped his lips. It wasn't even October yet and already there were Christmas displays popping up in stores all over America. They were bright and festive, and they caught the eye of any child under the age of twelve. And quite a few children older then that as well. Unfortunately it wasn't the Yuletide greetings that he was groaning over; it was his daughter's choice in 'cool' toys. Why couldn't his daughter want dolls or plastic ponies like normal little girls? Why did Ivy always go for the military action figures, toy guns, and creepy alien creatures from movies she wouldn't even be able to _watch_ for at least another ten years.

Actually, he knew why. Austin. He blamed Austin for Ivy's interest in boyish things. It all started with that plush life-sized face hugger replica that Austin had gotten Ivy as a first birthday present. The one that was sitting in the car right now as a matter of fact, heavily worn and covered in stitches from when seams had burst open and needed fixing, but still as undeniably creepy as the day Austin had bought it. But Ivy never went anywhere without 'Niblet' to Jeremy's dismay. And now it looked like Ivy wanted some sort of plastic tentacled underwater creature with sharp teeth that came with its own bucket of slime for "realistic snot bubbles!".

"Ivy, remember the rules?" Jeremy said softly and taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was within hearing distance.

The girl gave an exaggerated sigh and hung her head, angelic blond curls bouncing down around the sides of her face from. "No thought-speak when we're in public 'cause we're trying to blend in."

"Unless…?" Jeremy reached down and gently lifted her stubborn little chin with his finger.

"Unless it's an emergency." She repeated mechanically.

"Yes, and is this-" He gestured to the display window that was full of creature feature horror action figures, "an emergency?"

"No, Dad."

"Ahh, I didn't think so. Now, let's go find Kylie her birthday present, shall we?" He gently tugged on Ivy's hand, not so subtlety guided her away from the gruesome display and glancing around as he did so. Trips out into town were rare, especially since Lucas and David had gone missing, but they needed groceries and supplies at the 'Safehouse' (as they liked to call it, even though it was just an average country ranch style home on a few acres of forest land). And besides that, Kylie's birthday was coming up, and Jeremy had yet to buy his girlfriend a present. Things seemed to have quieted down, although Harold was doing his best to track down the missing Miracles, so it seemed like the perfect time to kill two birds with one stone. But they didn't need to linger any longer at the stores than absolutely necessary.

"I think she wants one of those…" Ivy looked longingly over her shoulder at the tentacle monster again as they were walking away. "Really, she does."

"Oh? I thought she wanted a pair of pearl earrings."

"No… I'm pretty sure she wanted a Squidder…" Ah, at least the creature had a name now.

Jeremy shook his head. "I don't think so, Ivy. Maybe if you're good, Santa will get you one for Christmas.

"Santa sucks." The scorn in her voice was unmistakable.

"Ivy!" Jeremy tried to sound scolding, but he knew where she'd picked up words like that. Living with the group of people that she did, it was amazing she hadn't picked up worse language yet.

"Well, he does." Ivy spat out. "I asked for a Super Sucker Mutant Eel for Christmas last year and I didn't ge-"

She was interrupted by the ringing of the cell phone clipped to her father's belt. Jeremy just sighed and shook his head at his daughter and unhooked the phone, lifting it to his ear after looking at the readout. It was Kylie.

"Hey sweet-"

"Oh god, Jer? Jer, is that you!"

The fear in his girlfriend's voice filled his ear and Jeremy knew in an instant what was wrong. It was the first thing he always expected to hear whenever someone called his phone, and it was the last he'd ever wanted to happen. Years of imagining the worst, and yet nothing he'd ever dreamed of could compare to the sheer terror that he heard in his girlfriend's voice. They'd found the Miracles. Adair had found them. It chilled him to the bone and he didn't answer right way; he was frozen in time as his mind raced, trying to remember the countless plans and strategies they'd come up with over the years for this occasion. He couldn't remember a single one.

"Jer! Oh god, they're here. Everyone else… Christ, Jer, they already got everyone else! Harold and… and Wendy and Marina.." She was out of breath and panting hard. Jeremy could hear a crackling sound that at first he had mistook for a bad connection… but he quickly realized that wasn't it. Trees… leaves. She was running wildly through the forest around the Safehouse, desperately trying to elude whatever horror was chasing her.

"Kylie?" Jeremy whispered softly. It was all he could think to say. Ivy was looking up at him, her eyes wide as the emotions of her father slowly slipped into her own mind, despite his best efforts to shield them. The girl may have been young still, but her mind was mature for her age. The gift of being a Telepath: the mind understands things at a younger age. And Jeremy had held nothing back when explaining to his daughter the importance of what she was, and what might be done to her if she were caught. But the reality of everything he'd ever taught her was suddenly forcing its way into her young head as everything her father had feared for the past ten years was suddenly crashing down.

"Jer, listen to me! Run! Get Ivy somewhere safe, but don't come back here. You can't help us anymore." Kylie. Sensible, smart Kylie. She might be scared beyond belief, but she was still in control of her senses. "Do you hear me, Jeremy? DON'T come back here! They've got a Track-" There was a sudden cry and then the call disconnected so sharply that it snapped him out of his shocked state.

"Kylie? Kylie!" He screamed into the phone, knowing there was not going to be an answer. It had all happened so fast… so damned fast… He didn't want to believe it. Looking away from the phone as if he expected Kylie's pursuers to come running at them that very moment, Jeremy realized he was drawing too much attention. People had stopped to stare at his sudden outburst. The town wasn't that big, and people were sure to talk if he caused too much of a distraction. It wouldn't be long until they would be tracked to this little downtown area unless he got them out of here now.

Jeremy turned his eyes to his daughter once more, and a grim determination set hold on him that hadn't been there only a moment before. Kylie was right. They had to get away; he couldn't let Ivy get caught.

'_Daddy…?'_, Ivy whispered softly in his mind, reverting to her own comfort zone of mental speech.

'_We need to go, baby. Now.'_ Jeremy grasped tightly to his daughter's hand and tried to walk briskly back towards the parking lot where his car was, without looking like he was in a desperate hurry… which he was. Without any further outbursts though, everyone nearby lost interest and turned back to their own shopping pursuits. By the time they'd reached the beat-up red Subaru, Jeremy was running a steady stream of ideas through his head. Where he could go, what he could do. Running to the protection of the Telepath community was definitely out of the question. They'd accept him, but Ivy… she was a dirty half-breed to those elitist bastards. He was ashamed to admit that he came from their society.

Jeremy started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, making for nearest highway that would lead to the interstate. The car he wasn't worried about being traced. It was registered to someone who didn't exist in another state, and there were no records of it that could be found at the Safehouse. Unless someone had _really_ done their homework… But if they knew _that_ much about Jeremy, then the two of them were screwed anyway, and he didn't want to think about that possibility.

Jeremy glanced at the glove compartment, then back to the road. Inside a false backing in the compartment, there were multiple passports, all with different names; two for Jeremy and three for Ivy. When it came to backup plans, Jeremy had always felt that overkill was the best option. There were other hidden spots all over the car with various paperwork and passports for the rest of the Miracles as well, but Ivy and himself were the only two he had to worry about now.

Silently repeating Kylie's last words over in his head, Jeremy wanted to punch something. _"They've got a Track-"_. Tracker. That's what she'd been about to say. A Tracker demon. That asshole doctor had located a Tracker demon and was using him to hunt down the Miracles. Jeremy had spent the last ten years of his life researching myths, fantasies, and fables, and in his extensive studies he'd managed to separate much truth from fiction. When you yourself were a supernatural being, it helped to know as much as you could about the others out there like you. It was only recently though, that Jeremy had learned of the existence of Tracker demons. In truth, the Tracker was only part demon, but like David he possessed power that had been passed down through his father's blood. The Tracker was physically and mentally drawn to those with otherworldly power. That was how Adair had found them. It was a possibility he'd feared, but doubted it would happen. Demons usually take care of their own and only in rare cases, like David's, were the children left to pursue lives outside their own supernatural court. And it was almost impossible to hire one. Most demons weren't interested in money or earthly goods.

It was all a very confusing story, and Jeremy wasn't sure he understood most of it, but what it all boiled down to was there was someone out there who could find him simply by following his supernatural scent. It wasn't a comfortable thought, especially when the more concentrated the power was, the more likely they were to be traced. He didn't know the range or abilities of this particular demon spawn, but the longer he and Ivy stayed together, the more likely they were to be found.

Jeremy took his eyes from the road to glance at his daughter once more. She wasn't near as powerful as he in the Telepathy department. And other than that, she had no supernatural powers that he was aware of. So if they were to split up, it was more likely that he'd be followed instead of her. If he could get her to a safe place, then he himself could take up a false trail and lead the Tracker away from Ivy. It was a risk, but they were more likely to get caught together, he realized. But where was a safe place? There was no where he could think of there in California, and he certainly wasn't sending her out of the country.

As the red Subaru sped along the bright West Coast highway, Jeremy's mind raced as he tried to think of where on this earth that his daughter would be safe, with people she could trust.

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A few hours later, and on a completely different side of the United States, a very large, very mutant turtle was walking through the sewer den that served as his home. His name was Donatello and he was thinking that the lair had never sounded so peaceful. Of course, that was because Mikey was engrossed in his comic book collection, Leo was probably off somewhere meditating, and Raphael was taking out his ever present pent-up frustration on the punching bag that stood in the corner of his bedroom. All of which were activities that Don couldn't hear from where he was walking in the living room.

And Master Splinter was still gone on his retreat, though they'd received a postcard from him in the mail a week ago. Well, technically April had received it in the mail, but she'd delivered it to them less than an hour after she had checked her mailbox. All of his heartfelt words and well wishes had been a welcome relief after all this time of not hearing from him (although there was a moment of confused silence when Mikey grabbed the card from his older brother, looked at the picture on the front of it, and demanded loudly, "How in the _shell_ did Sensei get to Hawaii?"). But Splinter had assured them he was doing well and he'd be home before they knew it.

And even Raph had lightened up after hearing Leo read the words out loud, and heaven knows _he_ had been getting just a bit too irritable for their liking. Of course, Raph's good mood hadn't lasted very long. Austin's absence was taking its toll on him, and his attitude was affecting everyone. In all honestly, Don couldn't understand how Raph could be so upset about her being gone when he'd only just _met_ her. He'd known her what, a week? And all of a sudden she's gone and Raph was acting like he'd lost the greatest love of his life, and it's everyone else's fault.

Don sighed and headed for his reckless brother's room. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to the conversation he was about to have with his brother. Oh, Raph would probably be happy with the news that Don was bringing him, but he'd also be terribly upset that Donnie had kept it from him for so long. By 'so long' he meant 'two hours'. And by 'terribly upset', he was actually thinking 'pissed as all hell'.

Loud thumps greeted him as he finally stopped at Raph's door, followed by an occasional grunt or curse. Yah, this was a _great_ time to approach Raph. He only hoped that his brother had taken out enough aggression on the helpless sandbag so that he wouldn't feel so inclined to test out his fists on Don's face. With a shaky resolve, Donatello lifted his hand and rapped sharply on the door, before he lost his nerve.

"Whadduywant?" came the rushed, slightly annoyed reply from Raphael.

"Hey Raph… can I talk to you for a minute?"

There was a pause in the thumping, as if Raph was contemplating the pros and cons of a conversation with his brother. Then the noise resumed as his brother's fists made contact with the sandbag once more.

"Talk. I'm listenin'." But there was no move to open the door, and the purple-clad turtle out in the hall knew that it wasn't a good idea to open the door to Raphael's room without an invite. Years of living with Mikey and watching him get pummeled for committing that very crime had taught him a very important lesson about Raph's need for privacy.

_But at least it's not a 'no'_, Don thought to himself. He tried to think of the best way to phrase his next sentence, but there just didn't seem like a good way to do it. And considering who his target audience was for this little statement, Donatello finally decided that bluntness was the best choice.

"Austin's home."

Looking back, Donatello would wish he had a stopwatch that counted nanoseconds to time how fast it took Raphael to fling open the door and back him against the opposite wall of the hallway. He hadn't even been aware the thumping had stopped before he found himself pinned to the cold bricks by the brother who only an instant before couldn't have cared less about a conversation with his brainy brother.

"How the _hell_ do you know that!" A light sheen of sweat covered Raph's body, and there was a slightly wild look in his eyes that Don wasn't sure came from the working out, or the mention of Austin's name. It was probably a combination of both. Raph's workouts usually got a little intense.

"Raph, I don't want you to get mad, but… well…"

"Spit it, Donnie. Don't make me beat it out of you." Which is exactly what Don wanted to avoid.

"Her plane landed a couple hours ago."

"How the hell…" Raph's eye's narrowed partly in anger, and partly confusion. All of a sudden Don felt extremely guilty for keeping this little secret from him. Raph had been so worried and had practically torn apart the city looking for Austin for the first week after she left. To this moment, Raph still didn't know where she'd been. But Don did. Don had known since the day after she left. When Raphael had come home that night an announced in a very uncharacteristically mellow voice (it wasn't until the next day that he began to let out his anger show) that Austin was gone, Donatello had started a search immediately. It hadn't taken long to find out she'd gone to Ohio and that she had family there. At this particular instant though, he wasn't sure that he should be completely honest with his brother.

"I was watching the airline schedules, and I had a program looking for Austin's name in the flight records." Which wasn't entirely false. He did have such a program, and he had been watching the airlines… but he'd already known that Austin was coming home today. "She landed in New York about an hour ago."

Raphael stared at Don for a few moments, the information sinking in. Then he abruptly let go of his brother and took off suddenly down the hall in a run. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where Raph was going.

"Raph, wait!" Don cried out and took off after him. "It's the middle of the day, you can't go topside yet! We need to talk!" He raced into the living room after Raph, but he could already see his impulsive brother making for the door out of their lair. "Raph!" But his words fell on deaf ears and Don skidded to a halt as Raph bolted out the door, the hard wood slamming shut behind him.

"Well, what did you think was going to happen? That he'd peacefully sit by and wait until nightfall to go see her?" A calm, condescending voice said softly from off to the left. Don sighed and looked over to Leo who was standing nonchalantly in an open doorway, holding a book. His eldest brother, who was also his partner in crime for this dirty little secret, was giving Don an _I-told-you-so_ look. It didn't help that on the phone, Leo had told Terri Bridger that they'd make sure Austin and Raph's reunion went as smoothly as possible; that he wouldn't just rush back over there, demanding explanations and apologies… which it now looked like he was about to do all because Donatello was quickly realizing that he wasn't very good at breaking news gently or at the right time.

"He'd waited a month, I just thought that… y'know… a few more hours wouldn't make much difference…" Don cringed at the look Leonardo shot him. "Okay, okay. It was a dumb idea to tell him, I see that now." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "But it'll be okay. I mean… Raph's smart enough to realize that Austin still needs some space, right? Don't answer that."

Leonardo just raised an eyeridge at Donatello.

The purple masked turtle flinched and turned away from the disapproving gaze. "I think… I'm just gonna go work in my lab. Quietly, where I won't bother anyone else today."

"Yes, that might be best." Leo finally said, the barest trace of amusement in his voice as his brother hurried off to contemplate his mistake in telling Raphael about Austin's return, the resulting bout of carelessness as Raph made a beeline for the topside, and the time-honored cliché that states hindsight is 20/20.

**

* * *

**

The flight itself was relatively painless. Most of the people traveling to New York City on that slightly chilly late September day had decided _not_ to join Austin on Flight 246, and therefore she found that she had an entire row of seats to herself. Not only could she sit and look out the window if the fancy took her (which it didn't), Austin could also stretch her legs out over the other two seats on her side of the plane and rest comfortably while completely ignoring the view of the land way way way down below.

Heights had never been her thing, so she really felt no need to constantly remind herself that she wasn't on the ground. In fact, she'd give just about anything to not only be on the ground right now, but more to the point, be _underneath_ it. Sitting comfortably on the broken down, stained sofa that graced the turtle's living room, with Raphael's arm wrapped around her and maybe a bowl of popcorn in her lap. With extra butter. Ooooh yah, that'd be nice. Extra butter was one of those guilty pleasures that Austin believed would make a lot more people happy if they'd just indulge in it every once in a while. Who cares if you gained a pound or two? Extra butter was worth it. Unfortunately, the airline people didn't think along the same lines. Austin had to thank her mother for packing leftovers, because the stale bread and the lifeless vegetables in the pre-prepared slightly cold lunch that was served on the plane didn't even look edible.

When the captain announced the impending arrival in New York, Austin had started to get jitters in her stomach. Not due to the food or the flight, but more importantly because she still wasn't quite sure what would be waiting for her when she landed. Of course she wasn't expecting Raphael to be there at the gate when she arrived. Even he wouldn't be so bold as to show up in a crowded airport in the middle of the day. Besides, he didn't even know she was coming back or where she'd been. So there was no way in hell he'd be waiting for her… No, landing at the airport wasn't as frightening of a thought as the idea of what might be waiting at her apartment, if anything.

_This is stupid_, Austin finally told her self as she buckled her safety belt. _I'm worrying about something I no longer have any control over… Why can't I just be mature and accept whatever happens?_ But maturity never had been Austin's strong suit, and she would be the first to admit it. And thus were her thoughts as her plane finally landed in New York.

It took her awhile to get to the baggage claim and pick up her suitcase, and then another long while to make it outside and fight the throngs of people waiting to flag down a cab. After a nearly thirty minute long wait, which was thankfully made less dull by the espresso stand no more than five feet away from the curb, Austin finally found herself sitting comfortably in the back of a taxi and watching as the familiar sights of New York City came speeding up to meet her in what was probably ten miles over the legal limit. Not that it bothered her. Hell, Raph had to have been doing at least ninety on the bike, and it hadn't been _that_ scary now that she thought back on it. Yah, at the time she was sure she was going to die, but really… would Raph have put her in that kind of danger? …Ok, yes. Yes, he would have. But just because it had been dangerous, that didn't mean he hadn't been in complete control of the situation. And honestly, after all that she'd been through in her life, how scary could a bike ride be?

In comparison with the aforementioned bike ride, the taxi might as well have been not moving at all. The cab ride back took much longer than it should have due to a car accident that caused a traffic jam four blocks from her apartment. It took almost a half of an hour to make it those four blocks, but Austin wasn't about to get out and walk that far with all of her luggage (even though it was only one suitcase). So she sat and thought and every time the taxi moved forward she felt herself getting more and more nervous.

When the driver finally pulled over, directly in front of her iron-gated door, Austin found she was almost too nervous to get out of the car. But she managed, mainly due to the fact that there was an impatient business man who desperately wanted her cab, and she wasn't really feeling her usual impulse to tell him to fuck off and she'd get out when she was good and ready.

There was a familiar creak as she unlocked the gate and slid it open, and it set her heart at ease just a bit. Austin closed the gate, opened it again just to hear the creak (which got her a couple odd looks from people passing by on the sidewalk), then finally slid it shut and locked it. She stood in the little alcove, looking at the door that would open into the building, and found that she didn't want to open it. A small part of her brain told her that if she just stood here for the rest of eternity, everything would be fine and she would live in happy place in her mind forever.

A happy place without Raph though… and would that really be such a happy place? No… no it wouldn't. And that was the thought that drove her to shove the key in the lock and push the door to the building open.

There were no windows that opened up to the staircase that led up to her loft so when Austin shut the door behind her, she found her self, quite literally, in the dark. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, and then she could just barely make out a sliver of light up on the landing; a sliver of light that came from underneath the door to her apartment. With a slight grunt, Austin lifted her rather heavy suitcase and started for the staircase. She'd made it about two steps when she stopped.

She could have sworn there had been a sound off to her left… off toward the little door that led down another smaller staircase; one that went down into the basement. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled, and she fought the urge to drop her suitcase and dart up the stairs. Years of living in a constant state of paranoia did things to a person's mind. There was nothing there, she was sure of it. Nothing at all. In fact, just to prove that there wasn't, Austin took a step back and tentatively reached for the light switch that she knew was on the wall to her right.

Her hand never made contact.

* * *

**End Chapter 1**

* * *

**After the fic Author's Notes**: Niblet exists. I own him. And I love him dearly. He creeps my roommates out. (evil maniacal laughter)

Yes, Terri called Leo and Don, not some creepy psychiatrist guy. Because I'm evil and wanted to make sure you all knew it. (grin) Had to keep you hanging on something.

AND…

I will not be including Notes to Reviewers in this section, for two reasons. The first being I heard a rumor that now doesn't allow replies to reviews in chapter contents. Can anyone confirm this for me? The second reason being there's a LOT of them, and I want to get this chapter out before I go to bed, and I just can't stay up that long and type them all out. Thankyou though, to each and every one of you who reviewed the prologue. I really really really really appreciate it.


	3. Where In The World is Austin Sandiego?

**Disclaimer:** I own not the turtles, but of the Austin; she is mine.

**Author Notes:** Thus begins (drum roll)…. Return of the Flashback! Yes boys and girls… or probably just girls (I'm not sure); we delve a little deeper into the past. Wheeeeeee. AND… this chapter is _especially dedicated _to **Dierdre**, who is so awesome and beta'd the first half of it for me. (The second half, I've gone over like… 20 times myself and am pretty happy with it, so I think I'll leave it as is.) Many snuggles to Dierdre :)

**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Chapter 2**

**

* * *

**

**_24 years ago_**

_One stitch. One mistake. Such a simple thing, and perhaps not even noticeable at first. But with time the one sma__ll__ mistake wi__ll__ set the entire pattern off. If caught early, then sometimes the error could be corrected, but more often than not it won't be noticed until it is far too late. Under certain rare __circumstances, that__ problem stitch could be covered up and the pattern shifted slightly to form the same larger picture. With any luck it would no longer be noticeable. _

_But some mistakes... some mistakes were made and nothing can be done to correct them. Such was the mistake that Rosemary __Bridger__ had found. And as she stared nastily at the offending stitch in her needlepoint (as if she could change it by sheer wi__ll__) an unsettling fear came over her. Rosemary __Bridger__ had been an expert at needlepoint since she was seventeen years of age. which was almost a hundred and fifty years ago. In those hundred and fifty years of cross-stitch, she had only made fi__ve__ such mistakes that she could remember._

_Besides being blessed with exceptional health and an even more exceptional long life, Rosemary was also blessed with a sort of sixth sense. This sixth sense took its form in her needlepoint. Visions and revelations would come to her during the more… intense sessions of her work. If cross-stitching could ever really be considered intense… _

_But still, the fact remained that Rosemary Bridger had just made the sixth mistake of her life, and it was the worst she'd ever done. Although the term 'mistake' was actually a misnomer. The 'mistakes' were never really her fault. If she one it was because of the guiding hand of an otherworldly presence. Call it Fate, or Destiny, or even Bob if you so please; whatever or whoever it was, it was trying to tell Rosemary something. And that 'something'… was that a huge fucking mistake had been made somewhere in the world. _

_There was no way to undo this mistake, either. Rosemary slowly placed the tip of her finger on the wrong stitch and carefully traced over the fabric, her finger running along the lines of the country cottage that had slowly and painstakingly come to be on the coarse background. Her eyes half closed as she felt the textures of the woven threads, and her mind raced through images that came from outside of her own head. Most flashed by too fast for her to make out and then vanished completely. She would never know what most of those had been… but then… then there was a spark of recognition. A face. A face that she knew all too well. Susan Bridger. Her granddaughter. The big fucking mistake had been made by her flesh and blood. _

_Rosemary's finger moved faster as the image of Susan fled, and she tried to follow it through the tangled web of the vision that took its form in an intricate cross-stitch pattern. Her son, Bill, had called a little over a year ago to let her know that Susan had run away from home. With a sigh of frustration, Rosemary had listened politely to Bill's tirade about how his daughter was a no-good hussy, and how he had never raised a child of his to be like that. But she knew the problem didn't lie with Susan. William Bridger had never been Rosemary's pride for more than one reason. He was loud, obnoxious, and more than just a little sexist. He had taken after his father, unfortunately. _

_No, Rosemary's love had fallen towards her daughter, Jillian. Oh, Jillian… wild, reckless, but still sweet and kind Jillian. The green-eyed, brown haired, slightly overweight girl who never had anything but a smile on her face for anyone she'd ever met. 'Pure sunshine' had been what the neighbors called her. With the face of an angel and a heart of gold, the whole town had mourned when Jillian finally succumbed to the dark cancer buried in her body. Rosemary had always held out hope that Jillian would have inherited her ancestor's longevity, but it wasn't meant to be. Bill certainly hadn't gotten it and it looked like Susan hadn't either. The line of Helda had finally been diluted enough by human blood that there was simply not enough power left in it._

_Rosemary's finger stopped abruptly when it touched the small window of the cottage cross-stitch. Someone was coming. No… not coming… someone was already here. She looked up at the same time the doorbell to her Victorian style home rang. A loud yawn and a clicking of claws could be heard as the large Great Dane that had been lying at the foot of her chair stood and stretched. Daemon shook his body to work out the kinks of a long rest and then looked at Rosemary, grunted softly in that way that dogs do before quickly made his way toward the front door. _

_Her worry eased even as she raised herself from the chair. Daemon was the best watch dog there was, and if he wasn't already growling at the front doors then there wasn't anything to worry about. Setting the large wooden scroll frame with the muslin and needlepoint on the coffee table, Rosemary stood swiftly from the chair and made her way to the front hall. Normally, just before she turned the corner that opened into the hallway, which in turn opened to the foyer, she slowed her step and bent her back slightly in a posture more suited to a woman 'her age'. But today was different. Already Rosemary could sense that the person at the door was no ordinary visitor. The waves of power emanating from beyond the cedar and frosted glass double doors were strong. Not the strongest she'd ever met, but enough that it slightly worried her. Still, Daemon wasn't growling, and he was one of the best judges of character, human or otherwise._

_There were blurs of color on the other side of the glass, and Rosemary could tell that whoever it was had blond hair and must be wearing some sort of blue top. They were tall too; at least 6 inches higher than Rosemary herself. Daemon was sniffing the door and actually wagging his tail now, and a small whimper of excitement escaped his grinning mouth. _

"_Okay, okay, back. Sit down like a good boy, Daemon." The large dog immediately obeyed, but nothing could stop the energetic wag of his tail. _

_Opening the door cautiously, Rosemary Bridger gasped in surprise and placed a hand to her breast as she looked upon __the very person she had seen only moments ago in the vision of the cross-stitch pattern. "Susan?"_

"_Nana?" The tearstained face of her only granddaughter blinked at her as she clutched tightly to a faded denim backpack with one hand… the other hand resting on the top of her very pregnant stomach. "Oh god, Nana… I've made a terrible mistake…"_

* * *

"Do you remember the phone number, Sweetheart?"

"Yes, Daddy." Ivy nodded much too seriously for someone her age as she clutched Niblet in one hand and a small traveling bag in the other. She recited the number and area code dutifully as she looked at her father with sad eyes.

"And what's your name?"

"Jessica."

"Jessica what?"

"Jessica Michelle Smith."

Jeremy closed his eyes and let out a breath, letting his head hang slightly. A silence hung in the air in between them, until he let out a quiet sob and fell to one knee, pulling his daughter into a tight embrace. "I love you, Ivy. You know that right? You know why we have to do this?"

Ivy nodded against her father's shoulder and wiped a tear from her eye. "You got to lead them away from me."

"Yes." He pulled back and held her at arm's length. "But I'll come for you as soon as I can." The lie slid from his lips much more easily than he would have liked. Inside he had a feeling… a gut instinct that this was the last time he'd look on his daughter's face. It was the first time in his life that he'd purposefully closed his mind to Ivy, and she knew there was something he was holding back. But she also knew that some things were better not known or asked about… and never would she question her father's motives.

"Mr. Smith?" A pretty young flight attendant stood at a distance and waved in their direction. Jeremy gave his daughter a last hug and stood, still holding her hand. "Don't worry, Mr. Smith; we'll take good care of your daughter." She smiled prettily and held her hand out to Ivy. "Jessica, right? My name is Sally."

Ivy looked up at her father, eyes full of questions and tears.

"Go on." The forced smile on his face did very little to reassure the young girl standing next to him. "Don't worry. It will be ok."

Wanting desperately to stay with her father, yet wanting to show him how strong she could be, Ivy squeezed his hand gently and stepped toward the flight attendant who would lead her onto the airplane.

As Jeremy watched the bouncing curls walking away from him his heart nearly tore in two and it took all the strength he had to not run after her. It was for the best. For now… Jeremy had very little doubt that sooner or later trouble would catch up with Austin as well, and sending Ivy to New York was probably going to speed that trouble up. But she'd be safer there for longer than if she stayed with him… he was sure of it. Besides… this new guy of Austin's… there was something about him. Something which told Jeremy that despite his hatred of the man, that he would protect Austin with his life. And Ivy as well.

"For god's sake, Austin… you better be home." He whispered to himself. When he'd talked to her on the phone three days ago from Ohio, she'd told him her plans for flying back to New York. If everything had gone according to schedule then her plane should have arrived not too long ago. And with any luck she would have gone straight home where she'd be able to answer the phone call he was about to place. Walking almost blindly to the pay phones, he dialed the number by heart to Austin's flat.

"Pick up… Christ, Austin, pick up!" His voice rose slightly and it earned him an offended look from the little old lady at the phone next to him. He mouthed a quick 'sorry' to the lady just as there was a click on the line. "Austin?"

"…Hey, you've reached Austin at…" The answering machine came on the line with a false cheeriness, and Jeremy almost cursed again before slamming the phone down. He'd try again from a different payphone in a few minutes. Not wanting to stay in one place for too long, Jeremy glanced back at the gate where his daughter had already disappeared through and then took off through the terminal at a brisk pace, already scanning the halls for any signs of being followed. He was being over-paranoid, he knew. But with his girlfriend and the other Miracles already captured, Jeremy wasn't taking any chances.

He made it back to the beat-up red Subaru and was soon on his way out of the terminal parking garage. Within 20 minutes, he'd hit the edge of town, stopping at every payphone he could find and calling Austin's flat. She still hadn't answered after the fifth try, and the phones were becoming fewer and further between. On the sixth try at a small run-down gas station, Jeremy finally left a message telling her to be at the airport to meet Ivy's flight. When he'd said everything he could think of to say, he paused for a moment… then finished the message. "Austin… I'll always love you."

* * *

Raphael was tough. He could handle just about any physical exertion his sensei could think up, and then some. But never before had he pushed himself this hard, this fast. The sewer tunnels passed by in a blur, and he saw very little of the things that were surrounding him. The path he knew by heart; he'd run it a hundred times over the past month. The most direct route from the lair to the sub-basement of her building. 

It had taken him less than two days to discover the sub-basement. It turned out there were two basements to the building that housed the café. The floor directly beneath ground level led up to the Celestial Café. The floor below that led up to the dimly lit staircase that led to the third floor… Austin's floor. At some point in history, the sub-basement must have been used for smuggling, because there had been a door sealed shut that led to the sewers. With Donnie's help, they had opened the door and re-rigged it on an electronic sequence. Anyone who tried to open the door without the correct key-code would send up red-flags on Donatello's computer. So far, no one had gone in or out except Raphael.

He reached the door in record time, the muscles in his legs burning from the harsh treatment, and swiftly typed in the 6-digit access code. It unlocked with hardly a 'click', and he pushed it open and bounded through. The door slammed shut behind him and locked automatically. Raphael crossed the room in just two seconds and flung open the door to the stairs. He ran swiftly up, taking three steps at a time, and pushed open the door at the top with a grunt. Jumping into the dark entrance, he actually tripped over the suitcase lying on the floor. One of his feet connected with the hard canvas, but thanks to his fast reflexes he managed to turn the fall into a roll and came up on his feet, crouched low and with his sais drawn in an offensive stance. Silence met his ears, and only when he was sure that he was alone, did he come up from the crouch.

Reaching over to the wall, he flicked on the light switch that he knew was there. The entrance was suddenly illuminated, and he looked down to see the offending suitcase. Bending over, he looked at the tag. It was Austin's. She was home… or had been… With a sudden bad feeling that he couldn't explain, Raphael whirled around and raced up the second flight of stairs. The door to her apartment was locked, but he deftly picked it, calling out her name even before he'd opened it.

"Austin?" He barreled into the room like a freight train, his senses taking everything in. Skidding to a stop on the hard wood floor, he glanced in every direction. The window… the couch… the kitchen… the door to the bedroom… Everything was exactly as he'd left it the last time he was here… which had been that very morning. Nothing felt off, except for the fact that Austin's suitcase was down in the foyer… but Austin wasn't.

* * *

"Austin… remember me?" The voice was rough and unwelcome in the dimly lit building. Austin had felt the presence of the person before they spoke, so she didn't jump in surprise. She didn't even look in the direction of the voice. It didn't really matter who it was; she'd heard the line before. There were a lot of guys that remembered and approached her at this bar. 

Back in the foyer of her building, Austin had stopped her hand before it had hit the light switch. Common sense had won out a split second before she gave in to paranoia. There was no one in her building. The basement was securely locked, and Raph would have been keeping an eye on her floor, she was sure. With a frustrated sigh, she had dropped her hand and turned back to the front door. She wasn't ready to be there yet, and if Raph _was_ waiting for her upstairs she wasn't ready to see him yet either. Mentally calling herself a coward, she had closed her eyes and breathed deep for a few moments.

Leaving her suitcase where she'd dropped it, Austin had adjusted the strap of her purse and turned for the front door. She'd walked back out into the sunlight and it had taken only moments to flag down yet another cab that had been more than happy to drive her wherever she could pay to go. She'd started at the park, walking around for a couple hours, and then when the sky had started to grow dark, she headed for one of her home away-from-homes. Twilight was coming earlier and earlier these days… it was almost October after all. It was also becoming a hell of a lot colder as well. Luckily, she'd still been wearing the wool-lined jacket that her mother had bought her the day after she arrived in Ohio, and she was warm and cozy when she arrived at the bar.

That had been an hour ago, and the first beer that she'd ordered was still sitting in front of her, untouched. She'd meant to drink it, honestly… but found that as good as she'd thought it had sounded, she simply didn't have the need to actually pick up the frosted mug and drink. Sitting on a barstool at the end of the counter, she'd attracted the attention of a few guys already, but had politely turned them all down. The bartender had approached more than once to see if she was doing ok and if she perhaps wanted something else? She'd refused him as well. It just didn't feel right, being here. She knew where she was supposed to be, and it certainly wasn't in some run-down bar being hit on by middle-aged married men who pretended like the white shadow on their ring fingers wasn't really there.

"C'mon babe, don't tell me you've forgotten already…" The voice turned devious and Austin felt a two strong hands place themselves on her waist, squeezing gently. A breath of hot air was felt on her ear and she jerked her head away before his lips could touch her skin.

"Get off'a me." She practically growled and wrenched herself away. His hands slipped off unexpectedly and she took the chance to rise from her seat. The man standing behind her looked vaguely familiar… she must have gone home with him at some point or another. Who knew? There had been a lot of guys in the past few months. More than she really cared to count at this time.

"Aww, honey, don't be like that." What must have passed for rogue-ish charm the first time she'd met him suddenly seemed rather abrasive and perhaps even a little on the silly side. His long dark hair and the scar on his cheek would once have been sexy to her, but looking at the guy now, all she felt was repulsion. How much things had changed in so short a time... But his surprise at her rejection changed into a nasty grin. "What, don't you wanna go back to my place? C'mon, baby…"

"I'm not your fucking 'baby'. And I'm definitely not going back to the shit hole you call an apartment." Funnily, she couldn't remember his name, but she had a clear memory of his trashy, run-down dwelling. Austin stepped quickly past him, leaving her beer on the countertop in the same spot where the bartender had originally set it down. She grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and pulled it on swiftly, ignoring the gleam in the guy's eyes. Already she was wondering what the fuck she had ever seen in him to begin with.

His grin turned into a savage frown and he took step toward her, grabbing her arm in a tight grip. "What, you gone all high-class now? Suddenly you're too good for me?"

Austin tried to tear her arm away from him, but he had an unbreakable grip on her. "Let me go, asshole. Or my boyfriend will kick your ass."

The guy laughed, a harsh sound that grated on Austin's nerves. "Boyfriend? Sluts like you don't got 'boyfriends'." As he leaned in close, she could smell the liquor on his breath and god only knew what kind of drugs he might be on as well. His eyes were wild as he looked at her with obvious lust. Even if she hadn't been getting involved with Raphael, she certainly wouldn't have considered going home with this guy again.

"He'll be here soon." She lied swiftly, glaring the guy down. "If he sees you even talking to me, he'll carve your heart out." …which probably wasn't a lie.

"You ain't got no boyfriend. Now let's just-"

"There a problem here?" A harsh, rather pissed off voice broke into the conversation, and Austin looked gratefully over to the bartender. At nearly 6'5", with the body of an NFL quarterback and a sparkling bald head that rivaled Mr. Clean, Frank had always been nice to Austin, remembering her favorite beer and even offering her free drinks every once in a while.

Releasing her arm almost instantly, the guy shot daggers at the bartender. "No. No problem."

"Good. Y'headin' home, Austin?" His eyes never left the asshole standing next to her.

"Yah, Frank… I'll see you later." Austin considered flipping off the guy, but thought better of it. Instead, she turned and headed for the door, not glancing over her shoulder. She was pretty sure that Frank would keep the guy occupied long enough for her to get a cab and get away. Thankfully, he didn't know where she lived, because he was seriously starting to creep her out. Not that she couldn't handle herself, just better safe than sorry.

Luck, it seemed, was not with her that night. Outside the bar there was no taxi in sight, an almost unthinkable thing at this time of the evening. With a frustrated sigh, Austin took off at a brisk pace in the direction of her newly purchased building. Looking over her shoulder a couple of times to make sure the jerk wasn't following her, she also kept her eyes open for the first available cab. It wasn't the best neighborhood to be walking in when the city was dark, even considering that it was only a little after 8:30pm and there was a fair amount of people on the street.

As she reached a side street, Austin felt an almost uncontrollable urge to take a turn down the street. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like she was drawn to something on the small dark avenue. In the past she'd felt such urges and sometimes she followed them; sometimes she didn't. Sometimes unexpected adventures met her… sometimes they didn't. It was sort of a hit-or-miss thing, and tonight she was feeling mildly curious. Austin took the turn and started walking down the sidewalk, a feeling of paranoia sinking into her skin as she stepped deeper into the darkness. At least four of the streetlights up ahead had been broken and the shadows of the buildings seemed to suck up what little light there was. Sounds of life came from what seemed like far behind her on the main road, but here there was no one about that she could see. Just as she was about to turn around and say 'fuck it' to the little urge in her head, something slammed into her from behind and she cried out sharply as she unexpectedly found herself being dragged into the nearest alleyway.

"You _bitch_!" The harsh voice came again and Austin realized much too late that she'd been followed. He slammed her up against the cold brick wall of the alley and pressed his body to hers. Pinning her arms above her head, he leaned in close and bit the side of her neck sharply, nearly drawing blood. "You'll be fucking sorry, slut."

She pushed against him, but his full weight was holding her in place against the wall and her mind was still slightly spinning from the impact of the back of her head against the brick. "Let me go, you fucker!", she hissed and tried unsuccessfully to break his hold again.

"Oh no, you're gonna be a good little whore and give me what I want." His eyes glinted malevolently in the darkness of the alley and Austin started to feel fear for the first time. She would have screamed, but his mouth crushed down on hers with such force that her head hit the brick again and she whimpered in the pain caused by both the impact and his mouth.

"I believe the lady asked to be let go." Raphael's fierce voice cut through the night as swiftly and as cleanly as his sai cut open the guy's back.

Howling in pain, the asshole stumbled back away from Austin, the back of his white t-shirt already turning a dark black in the moonlight. "Sonuvabitc-" His strangled words were cut off by a hard fist to the face and the cracking of his jawbone. Whimpers escaped from the guy's now broken jaw, but he had no time to recover before Raphael had grabbed him and violently thrown him out into the open street. He hit the pavement with a dull thud and rolled twice, then lay on the cold concrete groaning loudly. Fear of getting his ass kicked again must have been prevalent in his mind though, because he was soon up on his feet and stumbling down the street as fast as his fake leather cowboy boots could take him.

In the alley, Austin was still reeling from the shock of what had just happened. She watched as the dark form of her guardian angel turned from the mouth of the alley and looked at her in the darkness. He made no move toward her, neither did he speak again. She almost had the impression that if she spoke he would hit her as well, so much was the anger radiating off of him.

They stood that way for almost a minute, before she shakily said his name. "Raphael…?" He took a step towards her, and in response to his movement she launched herself off the wall and into his waiting arms. "Oh god, Raph! Oh god, I'm so sorry." She buried her face against his neck and clung to him tightly, tears escaping from her eyes. "I should have called… I should have… I'm sorry… please…" Her words were muffled against his skin, but he heard her just the same.

Afraid of saying something out of anger that he might regret, Raphael said nothing; he held her instead. God, he was pissed; his body was practically shaking with fury directed at both Austin and the guy who had tried to rape her. But he still embraced her and gently stroked her hair in spite of it all. Coming up from somewhere beneath the anger and the frustration was a sense of welcome relief and joy that she was here. Austin was back in New York… she was home; she was safe… and she was still his.

Perched on top of a nearby building, he'd hardly been able to believe his eyes as her form walked down the street. At first he'd thought he was seeing things; that in his desperation to find her he was imagining Austin's face on another woman's body. When the guy had come up behind her, making her cry out in surprise, he'd known for sure that it was her. He'd have recognized that voice anywhere, and at the moment he was wishing he'd have killed the man that dared touch Austin that way. But he'd held back in spite of the overwhelming rage that was coursing through his body; for there was an almost unconscious need for him not to let Austin see that side of himself. He was a killer and had been for a very long time. Sometimes they deserved it, sometimes they didn't; but it was a part of him that he wanted desperately to keep Austin away from. Despite everything that had happened in her past there was an almost childlike innocence that he saw in her, and he didn't want to be the one to shatter what was left of her fragile mind.

Her cries and apologies slowly died down and still he only held her. With a shudder, she was finally silent but still clung to him as tightly as possible. Eternity seemed to pass between them before she finally spoke again.

"I love you, Raph…"

* * *

****

After the fic Author's Notes: HAH! I bet you never thought you'd see this chapter! Well, I've proved you ALL WRONG! So THERE! grins like a giddy schoolgirl The chapter that was kicking my ass has finally been written, and hopefully all the stuff at the beginning wasn't too confusing. I SWEAR, it will all tie together by the end of the story. …maybe. I might have to save some stuff for the third installment of Misadv--.. uh… I mean… I never said I'd write a third story. You must have been hearing things. 

So... uh... (shameless cry for attention) Please read and review, and let me know I'm still doing a decent job! I need to ego boost. It encourages me to write more. :)

-Melodist


	4. Mmmm, Soy Cheese Pizza

**Disclaimer:** I own not the turtles, but of the Austin; she is mine.

**Author Notes:** I had a hell of a time trying to write the end of this chapter. You'll see why when you get there. I had to handle it just right… I hope I succeeded.

**FunFact:** Since the family line is slightly confusing, I'll type it out here for y'all. (Trust me, it was even more confusing to figure it all out in my head of just how it should work. I went through many different drafts, involving one that hinted Susan might not have been Terri's daughter either, but was in fact Jillian's… but I scrapped that idea since it was just more drama than I really needed). So here's what REALLY happened. Rosemary Bridger gave birth to twins, Jillian and William Bridger. William (Bill Bridger) married Terri and they had Devon and Susan. Susan in turn gave birth to Austin, and then later had a second daughter with her senator husband and named her Lily.

**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Chapter 3**

"**Mmmm, Soy Cheese Pizza…"**

**

* * *

**

**_24 years ago_**

_After being seated down on the comfy velvet Victorian style sofa in her grandmother's parlor, Susan accepted a cup of hot herbal tea while one hand unconsciously rubbed her swollen stomach. Her tears had already been licked away by an energetic Daemon and there was a small smile on her face now. Emerald eyes still held a haunted look, but the intense fear and strain that had been present only minutes before seemed to be fading. This was a common effect in Rosemary Bridger's house. There was a soothing quality not only to the exquisite antique furniture and warm decorations, but also to Rosemary herself. Most people chalked it up to her friendly disposition and willingness to lend an ear, but she knew it went much deeper than that. The line of Helda had many attributes, but one of the most common was an aura of calm that radiated from her body; people couldn't help but feel better when they were around Rosemary._

_Setting down a plate of warm ginger cookies on the marble topped end table next to the sofa, Rosemary eased herself down beside Susan. She leaned over and gave the girl a soft hug and smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Rosemary's sapphire blues held just the slightest bit of worry… but she tried not to let Susan see. The power emanating from her belly was what concerned Rosemary. The life growing within Susan was strong… too strong. This was not a normal throwback to the line of Helda, the powers didn't work that way. The only way for a child to be stronger than their sire or dam was if bloodlines had been mixed… and if bloodlines had been mixed then a war was about to be waged in this dimension. There were rules centuries old that shouldn't be broken... and if Rosemary's speculations were correct, then there would be hell to pay if anyone ever found out about this child._

"_I didn't know who else to come to, Nana…" Susan's voice was soft in the spacious room, but Rosemary's ears were as sharp as they'd been when she was a teenager. "Dad said… he said if I left, I couldn't come back… and when I got pregnant… I just didn't know where else to go… I'm scared, Nana."_

_Rosemary exhaled slowly and gently squeezed her granddaughter's shoulder. "It's going to be ok, Sue… I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Susan sighed heavily and except for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner and the occasional thump of Daemon's tail, there was silence. Taking another sip of her tea, Susan set it down on the table next to the cookies. _

"_Something's wrong, Nana…" She finally looked over at the older woman sitting next to her. "Something… I don't know what, but there's something wrong. I can feel it…" Her hand ran cautiously over the blue maternity dress as she spoke. "This pregnancy isn't right…"_

"_Shh-shh…" Rosemary hushed her. "Don't say that… don't ever say that. This child is a gift, Sue, and don't you ever think otherwise. There's just… complications." _

"_You feel it too, don't you, Nana? You can feel the… the power…" Susan's voice wavered as if she hadn't heard her grandmother's reassurances and she swallowed hard, fighting back fear in her voice. "I knew you would… you've always known things…" _

_Rosemary's face did not give away the surprise she felt inside. Could it be? Could Susan have inherited some portion of Helda's blood? It wasn't very much, for Rosemary had never sensed it before, but could there be some trace there that allowed Susan to know just what it was she was carrying inside her body?_

"_Yes… I can feel it."_

"_All those stories, Nana… all those stories you used to tell… they were true, weren't they? There's things out there… people that aren't human…" Susan shuddered violently and covered her face with her hands, sobbing into her palms. "Oh god, Nana, what the hell is inside of me?"_

"_No!" Rosemary grabbed Susan by the shoulders and forcefully turned the girl to face her. In surprise, she had dropped her hands from her face, fresh tears already wetting her cheeks. "It's not a what, it's a who. And it's your baby. Your child, Susan. There's nothing growing inside you that's any more evil than you or I. Do you understand?"_

_Susan stared blankly at Rosemary, shaking her head slightly. _

"_Do you understand? This child is your blood. My blood." Rosemary paused as a small smile came to her lips, almost unbidden. "The blood of angels, Susan… the blood of angels." _

* * *

"C'mon… let's get you home."

That was all Raphael had said to her after her hasty admission of love. He hadn't returned the sentiment; hadn't told her that everything would be ok; hadn't done anything that let her know that he had even heard her. All he'd done was continue holding her until she was calm enough to pull her head away from his neck and look into his face. If he was happy to see her, she couldn't tell. There was nothing there to read there but hurt and anger… and Austin knew she deserved his harsh feelings. What she'd done to him was horrible, she knew that now. Hell, she'd known it was horrible when she'd left the letter sitting on the pillow.

But Austin hadn't realized just _how_ bad it was until he hadn't kissed her.

She had tried to say something, but nothing came to mind as he'd taken her by the arm and steered her cautiously out into the still-dark street and to the nearest manhole cover. He'd spoken those words with such callousness that Austin was almost afraid to resist. She doubted that he'd let her go home by herself after what just happened in the alleyway. But once they reached her home… would he leave her at the front door without even a goodbye? Right now, she just didn't know. Her head was spinning and the dimly lit sewer tunnels were now starting to make her eyes hurt.

Raphael, for his part, was doing his very best not to turn around as they walked and lash out at her verbally, demanding to know where the hell she'd been, why the hell she'd gone, and just what the fuck was her problem. Yah, he'd gotten the letter; yah, he realized she needed some time; and yah, he knew just how fast they'd jumped into this relationship and that it had been a foolish thing to do. But foolish things were what he was best at, and damn it to hell if he wasn't going to be good for her. Couldn't she see that? Didn't she realize that he'd do anything, give anything just for her? So why the hell had she stayed away for so long?

All those things he'd been planning to say had been swept away when she whispered those three little words he hadn't thought she'd ever say. Did she mean it? Could she possibly love him? It was such a foreign concept to the both of them, but how could it be wrong when it felt so right to be together?

As they walked, he in the front with quick lithe steps, and her a couple feet behind and stumbling clumsily in the dank passageway, their frustration was building to an almost tangible level. Frustration with both themselves and with each other.

Finally, with a loud growling noise, Raphael stopped dead in his tracks; Austin, who was off in her own little world of self-loathing and worry, didn't. With a surprised 'oof', she slammed into him, barely managing to catch herself before she bounced backwards and onto her ass in the murky standing water on the ground.

"Why didn't you call?" He whirled around, his eyes blazing in the dark tunnel. He took a step towards her and she instinctively tried to move back. Raph was too fast though and he caught her up around the shoulders. "Do you have any idea how fuckin' worried I was? I tore this city apart looking for you!"

Shocked by his sudden outburst, Austin couldn't quite come up with the words she'd practiced a thousand times over the last month. "I… uh…"

"And then Donnie tells me you're comin' home, and when I get there? All I see is your damn suitcase on the floor! What the hell, Austin? Do I have to put a fuckin' tracking device on you!"

Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, until she finally found her voice. "…It might be a good idea… I get lost and can't find myself sometimes…"

Raphael stared at her as if trying to determine how she could find levity in the situation, then finally let out a loud breath and pulled her tight against him. "Christ… I was so worried…"

"I'm sorry…" she whispered in a small voice and clung to him tightly. "I really am…"

They stood like that for a long time, drips and plinks sounding from the nearby water pipes. A car horn blared once on a distant street. And with every sound, Raphael held Austin tighter as if afraid she might leave again any moment.

"Don't do that again." He said roughly, and he finally kissed her.

* * *

"So how, exactly, did Donatello know that I'd be back today?" The air between them had lightened and the closer they came to her building, the warmer Raphael seemed to grow towards her. They walked side-by-side and his left hand now rested possessively on the small of her back. After their issues had finally been resolved, it seemed to Austin that things had gone back to almost exactly where they'd been before she left.

"Something 'bout watchin' the airlines for your name." He shrugged nonchalantly and led her down another turn in the sewers. "I wasn't payin' too much attention when he told me."

"Oh." She was silent for a few moments then looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I was in Ohio."

He started for a second then glanced over at her. "Ohio. You went to… Ohio? What the hell's in Ohio?"

"My mother." Austin smiled at the warm memories of returning to her childhood home. "Well… Terri, I mean. My grandmother. It was a good trip, Raph. I was happy being back there."

He grunted softly and she could tell he didn't seem especially excited about the idea.

"What now?" She asked, exasperated.

"In't she the one who sent yo-"

"No." Austin said a bit too quickly. "Well… yes. Sorta." She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "She honestly thought it was best for me. She didn't _know_ what was going on at Greensage, Raph. By the time they knew something was wrong, it was too late, and I'd already escaped."

"Well, I still think th-"

"Raph." Austin cut him off with another shake of her head. "Please, let's not get into this. I've worked it out with her and we're going to be fine. I don't blame her and I don't want you too either. Please."

A look of annoyance passed over his green face and Austin almost thought that he'd argue with her more, but surprisingly he let that subject drop and instead brought up another uncomfortable one. "And Devon?"

Austin bit her lip and tried to think of the best way to answer that one. It was a difficult concept to grasp; that he wasn't here anymore. Almost dreamlike, Austin could nearly imagine that he never really HAD been there. My, how things changed so quickly. Finally she answered. "I think… he's really gone for good. Every once in a while I think I feel him… but… it's not like it used to be."

"Good." The satisfaction in Raph's voice almost made her want to hit him. Almost. But part of her agreed with him. It was better that he was gone… her life was starting to seem more normal. She glanced over at her green-skinned shelled boyfriend. …Ok, maybe normal was too strong of a word…

"Here we are." His voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up in surprise. They were in an old section of sewers that literally looked as if no one had set foot in for more than a century.

"Here we are, what?" She saw no ladder to the street, so where exactly did he think they were?

With a gleam in his eye he pulled aside what looked like a large broken wood door. It was almost indistinguishable from the other trash that littered the small section of tunnel. "Here we are. Under your building."

She peered around the rotting door and was surprised to see a newer looking solid metal door behind it… with an electronic number pad on it?

"What the hell…?" Austin asked in surprise.

"It's the door to the sub-basement. Although Donnie made some improvements to it." Raph rapped lightly on the solid steel. "No one's getting' in this door without major artillery… or the correct entrance code."

Austin still stared at it in surprise. "You made a door into my building?"

"Nah, just improved upon the one that was there."

"Oh… there was a door into my building?"

Raphael snorted in her direction and quickly punched in a sequence on the keypad. He waited a second for a sound that she obviously didn't hear, and then he pushed the door open. Sure enough, it led into the unused sub-basement that she'd only been down in once, when Doris was showing her around before she moved into the loft. Up until now, Austin had kept the door at the top of the stairs securely locked out of paranoia, not even aware that there was an exit out of the building into the sewers.

"Well, just invite yourself in, why don't you?" She mocked lightly and stepped into the basement after him. Raph pushed the door closed and she saw a small light on this side turn from green to red, and then noticed the keypad on this side as well. "So, are you going to tell me what the number is?"

"Maybe…" His voice grew low in the darkness of the basement and she felt him move in close behind her. Strong hands landed on her hips and she felt his hard plastron against her back. With a smile she leaned back against him.

"Pleeeeeease, will you tell me what the number is?" Austin smirked over her shoulder to the turtle she couldn't see in the dark.

"Mmm… what will you do for me to get it?" The way his hands slid over her hips and gently tucked themselves into the hem of her jeans plainly spoke of what he wanted.

"Nothing, down here in the basement." She let out a little laugh and tried to pull away from him. "I may be kinky, but I'm certainly not doing it down here in the dust and mold. That's a little much, even for me."

"Y'have no sense of adventure." He reluctantly released her, but took her by the elbow and led her to the stairs. "S'pose you're right though… that bed of yours will definitely be more comfortable." Austin shook her head, but the smile remained on her face. He was definitely the same Raph that she had left behind. As they reached the ground floor, Raphael told her to wait while he hopped over the suitcase still on the floor and flicked the light on. Then, in an uncharacteristic display of gentlemanliness he actually picked up the bag and motioned for her to go first up the second flight of stairs.

"Wow." She couldn't help but comment. "You just may score yourself dinner in addition to the sex if you keep this up. I think… pizza." She scooted up the stairs in front of him and grinned over her shoulder at his overly pleased face. "I know this place that delivers the most delicious soy cheese and roasted eggplant pizza."

There was a loud groan from behind her and Raphael's annoyed voice answering, "You gotta be kiddin' me. That's the most disgusting thing I've heard of."

"Mmmmm, eggplant! Tasty _and_ nutritious!" Austin teased back as she laughed and unlocked the door to her flat. The familiar scent of her apartment washed over her as she stepped inside, and there was a pang of nostalgia as she realized how much she'd missed her home.

She stepped deeper into the open room and stopped, closing her eyes. She gave a happy little sigh and let the feeling of being home seep into her veins. A small beep welcomed her back and she knew that there must be a message waiting for her. She looked up to see Raph dragging the suitcase across the room and towards the bedroom. "What th'hell did you pack in this friggin' thing. It weighs a _ton_, Austin." He grunted and dropped it just inside the bedroom door.

"Clothes and stuff." She said as she walked over to the little answering machine on the counter. "Mom bought me a bunch of new outfits for work and then she sent along a bunch of my stuff from when I was little. Baby clothes and toys. She seemed to think it might encourage me to give her a grandchild or two…" The irony of the situation was almost too much for Austin to handle.

"Yah, well, I won't be givin' you any babies anytime soon."

"I'm sure you would if I asked nicely. A sneaky ninja like you would have no trouble stealing a cute little kid for me."

"I don't like kids." His voice grew closer as he came to stand next to her. "You gonna listen to those, or what?" He pointed to the little red number '6' flashing on the display.

"Have you already listened to them?" She glanced over, wondering if he'd been checking her answering machine while she was gone.

He hesitated, then finally nodded. "The first one is from Powell… that lawyer guy. Wanting to know if everything 'met your approval.' …whatever _that_ means." Raphael eyed Austin with an almost stern gaze.

"What? I told you I made a deal with Susan. She bought the Café for me. Oh, and this building. I own them both now." She smiled in satisfaction at him.

"You _own_ the cafe?"

"Yep! And I'll have to get back there soon. It's been over a month since I've done a decent day's work."

"Then that explains the second message. From a lady named Doris, or somethin' like that. Said she wants to get together with you when you got home. To talk about the business."

"I'll call her tomorrow. The other messages?"

Raph shook his head. "The third is a hangup. An' I don't know who the others are from. They must have been left since this morning."

Austin 'hmmm'ed softly and pressed the play button. Sure enough, the first three were just as Raph had said. She jotted down the numbers Evan and Doris had left her on a little pad of paper then waited for the machine to cycle through the hang-up.

The fourth message was from Leonardo. The second his brother's voice came on the phone, Raphael grunted in annoyance and rolled his eyes at the machine.

"Hello, Austin, this is Leo… Listen, Donnie figured out you were getting back into the city today and well... I just wanted to let you know that Raphael is already on his way over. Just so you're not surprised when he shows up… he'll probably come up through the basement." There was a pause and as Leo tried to decide how to end the message. "If you need us, go ahead and call, ok?"

Raphael mumbled something particularly colorful under his breath and Austin patted him on the arm in a condescending manner. He gave her a slightly dirty look, but she ignored him, for the next message had already started playing.

It was from Jeremy.

"Austin… I'm leaving this message now… I've tried to get a hold of you a few times now, but… but that's not important. They got us, Aus… they got everyone except me and Ivy…" His voice was calm; too calm for the message he was leaving. "I'm calling from a pay phone…"

Austin's blood ran cold and she dropped the pen that she'd been taking numbers down with. It was unreal… a joke. Everything had been going so well, and just when she thought her life might actually start to become normal… this. Beside her, Raphael already had his hands on his sais, as if expecting Adair or someone even worse to come up out of the answering machine. But all that came out were more of Jeremy's words.

"I don't know how they found the house, but they did… they got everyone… god… Kylie and Harold… Marina… Everyone. I need you to do something for me, Austin… I know this is asking a lot after all we've been through and all we've said… I'm sending Ivy to you. I need you to take care of her. Her flight gets in at 9:50pm at LaGuardia…"

Austin's eyes flashed to the clock of their own accord. It was already 9:10. The feeling that had frozen her to her spot suddenly leapt inside her chest and she was already reaching for the purse and keys that she'd set on the counter. But Jeremy's voice continued and it took all her willpower to keep listening instead of bolting for the door.

"I'm sorry, Aus… I wish I could keep her with me, but I don't know if they're following me or not." His voice paused, and then he continued with a more cautious tone. "I'm coming to New York… but I need to cover my tracks for awhile. When it's safe, I'll come there for her. But until then… she needs protection, Aus. She needs you. And… she knows. I couldn't lie to her, Austin… she knows." The full meaning of his words hit her like a freight train and she nearly stumbled backwards with the force. _Ivy knows…Goddammit, Jer, you promised… you promised._

"I wish… I… there's so much I want to tell you… but… I can't now… I'll call you soon. Austin… I'll always love you." A small click and his voice was gone. Whatever the last message on the machine was, Austin didn't listen to it. With frightening speed, she whirled on Raphael who was staring at her in a mixture of confusion and anger.

"I need you to stay here, Raph." She pleaded desperately, even as she was heading for the door.

He reached out and caught her wrist, spinning her back around. "Where the hell are you going?"

"I've got to get to Ivy! Raph, she'll be at the airport soon. Didn't you hear?" Her voice was turning slightly frantic and there was a wild look in her eyes that Raph hadn't seen there before. "I need you to wait to see if Jer calls again! I need you to tell him I'm going after her!"

"She's not your responsibility!" His face grew hard and he shook his head. "This is getting out of hand, Austin! You aren't safe! What if someone followed her to the airport? What if they're waiting to get both of you? You can't go!"

"The _hell_ I can't! She needs me!"

"There's got to be another way! Get her a cab or something, but you ain't leavin' again tonight! In fact, I'm taking you back to the lair. I've had enough of this worrying crap!"

"Don't tell me what to do." Her voice grew cold as she stared into his dark brown eyes. "I have to go get her. You don't understand what's going on, Raphael."

"Bullshit. That loser couldn't take care of his daughter so he's dumping her off on you. What parent would leave their kid like that? If someone were after my ki-"

"Well they're _not_. I'm the only one Ivy has left. You can't even begin to comprehend what Jeremy's thinking."

"Oh, an' _you_ can?"

"Of course I can." Her eyes flashed dangerously and she ripped her arm out his grip with surprising force. "Don't try to stop me again, Raph. I have to get to Ivy."

"Give me one good reason why, Austin!"

Austin whipped around and faced him again, her face a mixture of pain, anger and fright. In the echo of the apartment, her words were like a slap in the face to Raphael. "Because I'm her mother!"

* * *

**After the fic Author's Notes**: (wonders how many people saw that coming). I'm hoping not too many. I was sorely tempted to reveal it in the first story… but… eh. :)

In the next chapter, you'll find out more about why Ivy calls Austin "Aunt", and why and when and how Austin left her daughter behind. But I think this is a good place to leave it for now.

Also, some of you may have noticed, but I'll bring attention to it here. Yes, Austin inherited some of her great-grandmother's 'calming' effect. It was touched upon very briefly in one of the flashbacks in Misadventures (specifically, the one where she's trying to comfort the little kid in her room. … who, by the way, was actually David, though I didn't name him at the time.) See? I'm starting to tie stuff together that has been in the plans since way way way back when. And BTW, this calming thing… it doesn't work in reverse; Austin can't calm herself down by… uh… spending time with herself. Doesn't work that way.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:**

I shall be typing out the responses to my reviewers and posting it to either the Misadventures LJ, or to my Stealthy Stories forum. Look for them there within a day or so. Possibly in an hour.


	5. Crazy New York Drivers

**Disclaimer:** I own not the turtles, but of the Austin; she is mine.

**FunFact:** In one of the previous chapters, I mentioned that Rosemary Bridger had a Great Dane named Daemon. …A couple months ago I adopted a Dane mix from the animal shelter… guess what I named him:) Of course. I'll post pictures of him soon for anyone interested.

**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Chapter 4**

**Crazy New York Drivers**

**

* * *

**

**_7 years ago_**

"_You don't need to go, Aus! This is insane!" It was the same argument they'd had everyday for the last two weeks; ever since Austin had told Jeremy that she was leaving._

"_Yah, well, in case you hadn't noticed I've never been the most stable one of this pathetic little group." _

_Jeremy's eyes flashed in his girlfriend's direction and he shook his head in frustration for what seemed the hundredth time in the last hour. "What happened to you, Austin? Where's the girl who Lucas rescued from the Institute?" She flinched at the mention of Greensage, but Jeremy continued as if he hadn't seen it. "You were so desperate for a family that loved you, and that's what we became." He gestured around himself to the living room of the rundown farmhouse that they were currently living in. It still needed some work, but all the 'Miracles' had been helping restore it for the last three months and it was starting to feel like a real home to most of them. _

_Austin shook her head, objecting. "We can't live like this, Jer! We don't own this house or this land! We don't even know who does! What happens when someone comes up here and finds us living in their place?" _

"_Then we'll move again. Just like we did bef-"_

"_I'm not doing that anymore! I'm not going to sit around here and just wait for life to kick me around some more. I'm going to leave, and I'm going to go make something of myself." _

"_It's him, isn't it?"  
_

_Austin narrowed her eyes at the sandy-haired boy she'd been sharing a bed with for the last year and a half. "Leave Devon out of this."  
_

"_Why should I? He's the one that wants you to leave, isn't he? For god's sake, Austin, can't you see that he doesn't want you to be happy here!" _

"_That's not true!" _

"_Yes it is! Ever since we broke out of that hell-hole, he's been trying to break us apart! He doesn't want us together, Aus!" _

"_I don't want us together, Jer!" The hurtful words cut into him like a blade, but it had been an expected pain. He had been anticipating this since the first time he'd told Austin that he loved her. Devon would only tolerate so much, Jeremy had known. If it hadn't been for the pregnancy… Austin would have been gone months ago… And Ivy was the last card that Jeremy held. _

"_You have a responsibility to your daughter, Austin!"_

"_I didn't want that responsibility! I never wanted a baby and you KNEW that! " Almost as if on cue, there was a soft cry from the next room and Jeremy cringed and shielded his thoughts from the infant's mind. Ivy might not be old enough to read his thoughts, but the two-month-old could already feel his emotions and react to them._

"_Don't give me this crap, Aus. I know you love her!" _

"_Of course I love her, Jeremy, and it tears me apart whenever I look at her! I can't give her what she'll need, can't you see that!" Her voice took on a pleading tone and her eyes looked everywhere but into his. "I can't be a good mother… God, Jeremy, I'm only 16… I just… I can hardly take care of myself… how can I take care of her?" _

"_Austin…" Jeremy took a small step forward and tentatively reached for her hand. She let him take it, but wouldn't look to his face. "Everything will be ok… we'll work it through together. Please, just stay." _

"_No…" She said quietly and shook her head. "She'll be better off without me… can't you see that? She needs someone-"  
_

"_She needs her mother." He interrupted._

"_She doesn't need someone like me. She deserves more than that." Austin pulled her hand out of his and finally looked up. There were unshed tears in her eyes, and Jeremy knew that she wouldn't let them fall. _

"_Aus-"  
_

"_No. I'm leaving, Jer. You can't stop me." He'd seen the harsh look on her face before: the set jaw, the cold green eyes, the flush in her cheeks… there was absolutely no changing her mind. _

_A silence hung in the air between them, occasionally broken by Ivy's whimper from their bedroom. All the things that Jeremy wanted to say ran through his mind, but he knew that none of his arguments would make her stay. In his head, he knew that the only way she wouldn't leave was if Devon told her not to. Jer silently cursed the ghost he wasn't even sure existed. Damn him… damn his stubborn, selfish, dead ass. It was because of him that Austin was leaving; even if she thought it was her own idea, Jeremy knew it was Devon's doing._

_He lowered his eyes from hers and shook his head one last time in sad acceptance. "You'll stay in touch with us, won't you?"_

"_Yah… I'll stay in touch." Austin idly fingered the strap of the small backpack on her shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Jer… I'll be fine." _

_His eyes slid shut and he sighed heavily. "I'll always worry about you… I love you." Just once, he thought… just once, tell me you love me, Austin… _

_But she didn't. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and instead, walked out the front door. _

* * *

It was like a sucker punch to the gut. Raphael's anger and determination at stopping Austin from walking out the door dissipated in an instant, and he stood there gaping at her for a few seconds. Austin had a kid. …how the hell had that happened? Ok, he knew _how_ it had happened… but what the hell? Why hadn't she mentioned it before?

For her part, the open declaration seemed to have wiped out most of Austin's energy and she slumped back against the door to her loft, not looking up. She let out a soft moan and ran her fingers through her hair in a frustrated manner.

As Raph stared at her, his thoughts finally seemed to catch up with him and he shook his head slightly. What the hell was he doing here, involved with this girl? Austin was rash, impulsive, probably slightly insane, and more than just a little annoying at times… all of that he could handle… but now to top it all off: she had a kid. This was the last thing he needed in his life… a psychotic single mother for a girlfriend. One who had a tendency to run off and not tell him where the hell she was for weeks at a time. He sure as hell didn't need this.

His brother had probably been right when he'd warned Raphael away from a relationship with Austin. But then, Raph never _had_ listened to Leo when he was giving advice. Maybe it was time he started… then he wouldn't have ended up in a mess like this. Just his luck, in spite of the biological incompatibility, Austin would end up pregnant _again_, and he'd have to pay some sort of freakish child support to her in nine months and then they'd end up fighting over weekend custody for the next eighteen years. That would be the perfect ending to this less-than-perfect relationship.

What the hell was he even still doing here? He should be jumping out the window and leaving her to whatever it was fate had in store for her. Raphael could easily find another girl if he wanted. He was a split second from turning on his heel and leaving when the thought hit him.

He didn't want another girl, he wanted Austin. Why wasn't he leaving? He wasn't leaving because of that one little curl that always seemed to escape the tight braid she put her hair up in. He wasn't leaving because of that haunting defeated look that was always in the back of her eyes; the one that he thought was strangely beautiful. He wasn't leaving because of the way she pouted when she didn't get what she wanted, and how she mumbled in her sleep about dancing elephants and other weird dreams she was having. And he wasn't leaving because of the way she'd looked at him that one night when she was already half asleep and begged him not to leave her alone. That's why he wasn't leaving. Not to mention, the thought of what might happen to her if that bastard doctor ever found her… it made his blood run white-hot with fury. He'd keep her safe even if it meant giving his own life in the process…

So she had a kid… he could deal with that. He could deal with anything if it meant she was safe and she was his. Besides… it's not like the kid was going to be here forever. Jeremy said he'd come for her soon. This was something he could handle.

Austin though, looked as if she was about to collapse on the hard wood of her loft. Raphael swiftly leaned forward and pulled her into his arms. "C'mon." He said softly. "Let's go get your kid."

* * *

Austin took a small sip of tea from the dull gray thermos that she was holding in her hands. It was old and beat-up looking but it served its purpose. There was a sudden jolt, and the steaming liquid nearly spilled into her lap. "Oops. Sorry!" The young red-haired woman in the front seat called out her apology, but the speed of the old rusty VW van never wavered. In fact, Austin was pretty sure that April had instead increased the gas after hitting the pothole.

April O'Neil. Austin had never met her, but she instantly liked her. But that might have had something to do with the fact that when Raphael called her and briefly explained the situation, it had taken her all of seven minutes to make it from her apartment to the front door of Austin's building with not even a complaint about the interruption and the hassle of driving to the airport that late at night.

There was another jolt, with no apology this time, and then a stomach clenching sharp right turn. Austin's normally pathetic reflexes didn't disappoint her, and she spilled a bit of the tea onto her jeans. She hissed softly at the hot liquid, but managed to get the cap back on before any more spilled. Placing the thermos down next to her, she held it with one hand to keep it from rolling away.

"I went back, you know…" She continued the story she'd been telling without looking up at Raphael, who was sitting directly across from her on the floor of the rumbling van. "As much as I didn't want to be her mother at first… I couldn't stay away. I visited every few months and brought her presents and stuff… Jeremy promised that he'd tell Ivy I was her aunt… but…" Austin thought back to his voice on her answering machine. "…I guess he lied."

She let out a heavy sigh and went on speaking. "All that time… all those visits… Birthday parties and holidays… Every time I went back I treated her like she was my niece… God… that must have been terrible for her, knowing that I was really her mother all that time."

"It don't sound like she hates you though. That's gotta mean something." Raphael spoke for the first time since Austin had begun her awkward story.

"Yes… I suppose it does." She nodded softly in agreement. "I just wish he would have told me sooner, y'know? I don't think Jeremy ever realized how much I changed in the years after I left. As I watched Ivy grow up, I realized I wanted to be her mother… I really truly did. But by that time I thought it was too late… I thought she wouldn't accept me as her mother when Jeremy and Kylie were the ones who had been raising her for so long. God, I've been so stupid… Why didn't he just tell me sooner? I would have gone back there for her…" Austin sighed again and leaned her head back against the rumbling wall panel of the van. She closed her eyes and tried to relax and not think about all the what-might-have-been's running through her head.

Despite the obvious pain in Austin's voice, Raphael couldn't help but feel some satisfaction in her last words. "_I would have gone back there for her…_". For Ivy… not for Jeremy. She wasn't in love with Jeremy anymore, if she ever had been.

That little thought had been running around in his head for a while now. He'd suspected something had gone on between the two of them, but not until he heard Jeremy's voice on the machine still proclaiming his feelings for Austin was the suspicion confirmed. The part of him that wasn't angry about it was fearful that maybe she still loved Jeremy as well. But not once had Austin even mentioned her feelings towards the guy. Raph had never been the quickest at deciphering emotions just from words, but he knew how to read body language. And everything in the way Austin moved when she mentioned Jeremy was jerky and awkward, and spoke volumes about how she was uncomfortable with the topic. It was nothing like the unconsciously silky smooth movements of an infatuated lover; the way Austin moved when she was looking at Raph. No, if Austin ever had been in love with Jeremy, she certainly wasn't anymore.

"Hold on!" April's voice called from the front and there was a lurching of the old Volkswagen as she spun the wheel hard into a turn. Austin's side of the van caught some air and two tires left the ground. She opened her eyes and found herself falling forward across the floorboard toward Raphael. She twisted and tumbled right into his waiting embrace as the van righted itself and April hit the gas once more. If Austin hadn't known better, she would have thought that the cute mutant had planned that out all on his own.

"Sorry!" April apologized into the rearview mirror even as she sported a smile that was anything by remorseful.

Austin tried to move back to her side of the van, but Raphael tugged her back and pulled her down to sit back against his plastron-covered chest. "This is safer." He whispered roughly into her ear. She grumbled slightly, but willingly leaned back against him, letting his muscular arms act as a seatbelt. Austin found that it was much easier to keep her balance on the van floor when there was a strong ninja wrapping his arms around her.

They sat that way for a few minutes, until Austin finally mounted the courage to ask one of the questions that had been on her mind for a while now. "Are you going to be ok with this? Me, having a kid?"

Raphael breathed deeply and tried not to let the reluctance show in his voice. "Yah. I'll be ok."

"Don't worry, Raph's just a big ol' softie!" came April's voice from the driver's seat, where she was not-so subtly listening in on their conversation. Not that Austin really minded; it wasn't like they were talking in hushed secretive tones or anything. "He's great with kids! Don't let the grumpy exterior fool you."

Raphael growled in response but bit back the "I hate kids", that had been on the tip of his tongue. He would make an effort to accept this kid for Austin's sake. Instead of speaking his mind, he just tightened his grip on the girl in his arms and sighed. When the hell had he given up the 'fuck you' attitude that he was known for? Well, he hadn't, really. It was still there… it just didn't want to show its ugly head in front of Austin. Sooner or later she'd probably see him at his worst, but it wouldn't be today. Maybe tomorrow or some day soon… but not today. Today he was just glad that Austin was back where he could keep a watch on her and keep her safe.

* * *

_**A few hours ago in California: **_

Dal shook his head in obvious anger as he stormed through the front door, the smell of brimstone wafting in after him. "What the hell went wrong!" He practically growled the words and his green eyes flashed dangerously at the camouflaged man standing just inside the entry. "There were supposed to be eight! Eight Supernaturals, all living in this house! And what do we have to show for it?" His voice rose to an almost demonic level… something that was fairly easy for him to achieve since he actually _was_ half demon.

"We underestimated them sir. They were more powerful than we thou-"

"That's why you were supposed to wait for me! No one goes in until I give the word! That's how it works! So why the _fuck_ did you go in without orders! This was a surveillance-only mission!"

"Sir, one of them spotted us. We had no choice-"

"So you went in, guns blazing? There were only three of you!"

"But, sir-"

"No. I don't want any excuses. You fucked up." Dal growled softly again and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His father was not going to be pleased. The last two years Dal had spent tracking down Supernaturals for the old demon and this was the first time he or his men had let one slip through their fingers. No, not just one… three. They'd let _three_ slip through their fingers. "So…" Dal said more softly, resigning himself to what he couldn't change. "Tell me what happened."

The man hastily explained the situation. One of the girls living in the house had spotted them as she was on what looked like a leisurely walk through the forest. The petite blond had been tranquillized and captured, but not before her cries alerted the others in the house. The team of men had quickly stormed the secluded farmhouse and secured two men inside the house. Two more women had run out the back and gone in separate directions. "That's when we called you, sir."

Dal nodded impatiently. He'd gotten their frantic message and immediately teleported to the farmhouse in time to help track the athletic brunette that had been sprinting through the forest while yelling into her cell phone. "So what happened to the other woman?" He asked tiredly.

"Well… she… got away."

"I _know_ that." Dal retorted in exasperation. "_How_ did she get away?"

"Well… she jumped into the lake."

The demon's eyes narrowed and he gave his man a look that chilled him to the bone. "And you didn't jump in after? Or perhaps shoot her from the bank?"

"She disappeared, sir. That lake is crystal clear, and the instant she jumped in, she just disappeared! Her clothes floated to the surface a second later, but she was just… gone!"

Dal let out a groan that was partly relieved, partly aggravated. He raked a hand through his dark blond hair and ran his man's explanation through his head one more time. A Water Magi. There had been a fucking Water Magi at this place. You didn't find one of those everyday. Most Water Magi lived in the Scandinavian countries, with a couple dozen scattered throughout the rest of Europe. He could count on one hand all of the ones that were currently living in the US. The only positive side to this was that if she was a Magi, she wasn't the person they were looking for.

"Sir?"

"What?" Dal shot back. His headache was currently threatening to become a migraine.

"What do you want us to do? Search the lake?"

"Don't bother. She'll just find a creek to float down until she's far away from here, and then reform. Even I can't track her if she's dispersed herself in water." He sighed and took a look around the house. There were still two Supernaturals unaccounted for, but they weren't anywhere near. He would have been able to sense them if they were. A quick glance around to the items scattered in the living room of the farmhouse told him that one of the absent Supernaturals was a child "Search the house. Maybe we'll be able to find something that will lead us to the other missing two."

**

* * *

**

**After the fic Author's Notes:** Uhg. I'm so sorry for the delay. Those of you on the Stealthy Stories forum probably already know that I've made some excuses for why it took this chapter so long to get out. My sincerest apologies. Hopefully the updates will be more frequent now that I have time to myself in the mornings again. Yay!

So anyway. I added a new character into the mix. Dal. Mmmmm, sandy-haired, green-eyed, half-demon Dal. He is mucho-sexy, in my opinion, and will be showing up again soon.


	6. Welcome Back Melodist

**Disclaimer:** I own not the turtles, but of the Austin; she is mine.

Well… it's been over a year since I last posted a chapter. Let's pray that there's still some of you out there who are interested in this little thing I like to call a story. And just so you are fairly warned… you'll understand who Donatello is searching for if you've read the first chapter of my tie-in story, Mona Lisa Smile. If you haven't read that, and you don't wish too, she'll be revealed much much later on in this story.

Also…. I apologize for the lack of funniness in this chapter. I know a lot of people really like the humor I put into my stories, and hopefully next chapter will be a lot "punnier". Hah! Me so funny!! …okay, you have permission to hit me for that one.

**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Chapter 5**

**Welcome Back Melodist**

* * *

The closer that April's rusted VW van brought them to the airport, the more and more agitated Austin became. If there had been any words that Raphael could have thought of to soothe her, he might have considered possibly saying them. But soothing words and comforting looks weren't anything that he was even remotely familiar with and so he just held on to her, closed his eyes, and rested his chin on the top of her head. Every jolt and bump from the fast moving van shook them thoroughly, but Austin's body was already quivering so badly that Raph was pretty sure she didn't even notice the harsh bouncing from the vehicle. 

"We'll be there in five minutes." came April's voice from the driver's seat. The word's barely registered in Austin's mind as her thoughts raced over the day's events and Jeremy's frantic phone call.

" _I couldn't lie to her, Austin… she knows."_ The words still boomed through her head like a gong. Damn Jeremy. Damn him to hell. Life had been so much easier before that phone call. Yes, a large part of Austin was undeniably excited and happy to find out that her daughter knew who she really was… but how would things go at the airport? Would Ivy feel slighted that Austin hadn't acknowledged her as a daughter for all these years? Ivy had always known that Kylie wasn't her real mother, yet Kylie had been the one to raise her, discipline her, and tuck her in at night. She was the one who read books to her… taught her to cook… played dress-up with her… And Austin was her real mother… the one Ivy saw three times a year, if that, and who only stayed for a couple days at a time and never tried to be anything more than a long-distant aunt bringing presents and kisses on the cheek but never letting herself get too close. And all that time… God, all that time Ivy had known the truth…

Tears came to Austin's eyes and she tried to blink them away before they could have a chance to fall. What if Ivy resented her and was angry for being sent to New York? It was entirely possible that her daughter would treat her with anger and disrespect, emotions stemming from both Austin's almost nonexistent involvement in her life and also from being torn away from her father so suddenly. And what if something happened to Jeremy and she and Austin had to live together for years to come? Austin knew absolutely nothing about raising and caring for a child. Sure, Ivy was seven years old and seemed to be very mature for her age… but she was still dependant on a parent; one who understood the unique abilities that set her apart from all other kids.

And now, being faced with the possibility that Adair might be on her and Ivy's trail… how could she possibly keep her daughter safe? Raphael had already proven that the security on her building needed a hell of a lot of work. It had taken him what... 5 seconds, maybe, to pick the lock that first night when the turtles brought her home? If he could get in, then certainly hired thugs or demon hunters could get in just as easily. Her apartment wasn't safe anymore, she realized with a depressing start. That loft was her home, as was the coffee shop below it. For the last few months, the cafe and those people working there had become almost like a second family, albeit one that she never got too close to but nonetheless had come to appreciate. They were always there and she could always count on them to be there if she needed. Now that she owned the Celestial cafe, courtesy of her estranged mother, Austin would have to give it up… or at least find a way to run it from a safe house. She couldn't stop working there completely, though. It seemed to be the last ordinary place of refuge for her sanity in a quickly unraveling world of supernatural events and people.

Raphael wanted her to move down into the home he shared with his brothers, under the pretense of safety… but she was still reluctant to consider that possibility. It was giving him too much control over her life and she wasn't sure she could handle that right now. Austin valued her freedom more than most and living under the watchful eye of Raphael and his brothers would start to grate on her nerves within only a few days, she knew. They would only have the best of intentions for her, but in their protectiveness Austin would find herself practically a prisoner in their underground home. Not being able to go out when she wanted or without an escort, not being able to just step out her door into the warm sunshine or sitting at her computer desk and watching the rain pound on the window or the snow falling… People underestimated the value of doors and windows. Once broken free of the Greensage Institute, she had vowed never to live in a place without windows again.

But there was really no other place for her to go that would guarantee the safety of her and her daughter. They very well couldn't rent another apartment because whoever could trace Austin to her current home could trace her to another. And finding an abandoned warehouse or some other squatter's sanctuary would just be plain silly… and it would bring back depressing memories of her past when she had no home and was just running from place to place.

With a sigh, Austin tentatively resigned herself to the fact that she and Ivy may very well end up living in the sewers before all was said and done. Perhaps she could talk Donatello into rigging up some hi-tech security system at her loft. If he could replace the old wooden door in the sub-basement with a fancy electronic door, then surely he could find a way to make the third floor of her building secure from anyone hunting her, or at least give her fair warning and a few minutes head start should someone try to break in. But then came the problem that she couldn't run very fast, and it was a long way from her basement to the turtle's home. No matter what angle she looked at the problem from there just didn't seem to be an easy solution.

"Ok, we're here. You hop out and I'll just circle around a few times until I see you come out again." April's voice startled her out of her bitter reverie and she blinked up in a startled manner. "You better get out the front door. We don't anyone catching a glimpse at Raph out the back." Her cheerful voice seemed almost offensive to Austin's previously dark thoughts, but she still couldn't help but feel uplifted by the woman's enthusiastic demeanor.

It took Austin a few seconds to register what April had said, but when she did, she leaped up and out of Raphael's arms, accidentally tripping over his outstretched leg in the process. He just barely managed to catch her and steady her before she dashed her head on the unpadded metal side of the van. Austin however, didn't even look at him and she barely managed to call out a hurried apology to the turtle before pulling herself free of his hands and vaulting herself into the passenger seat, throwing the door open.

As she slammed the rusty door behind her, Austin glanced up at the vintage train station style clock that stood next to a closed espresso stand on the sidewalk outside the terminal. According to the little black arms of the clock it was already 10:25pm, and Ivy's flight was supposed to have gotten in at 9:50. She sprinted past it and pushed open the nearest door of the terminal, nearly knocking over a young man with spiked hair and a large steel ring through his nose. Not even bothering to apologize, Austin ran a few more steps and then had to slow down to a half-jog. Even this late at night, the airport was still buzzing with activity and there was no way she could go running full sprint through this many people without causing a few accidents. There were so many travelers that Austin started to worry it was going to take a long time to find Ivy in the middle of it all.

Pushing past an elderly couple staring up at one of the departure screens mounted near an information desk, Austin spotted the blue sign that said "Arrivals" with an arrow pointed down a large open corridor that seemed to stretch on for miles. She made a beeline for it, having to slow down even more so she could scan the crowd, looking for a short, blond blue-eyed Telepath.

The further she went into the airport, the more apprehensive she became. Not just because she was worried about finding her daughter, but also because she was feeling more uneasy about being around so many people. Some might argue that large crowds should make her feel more safe, more secure, but in reality the more people that were around the more Austin started to feel as if something was wrong. As if someone were watching her. The lady standing over there, looking at the cheap romance novels for sale at the little store. She wasn't even facing Austin's direction, but there was something… off about her. Something that wasn't right. Or the old man standing at the payphone chatting away with a grin on his face; his hand fiddling with something in his pocket. There; that little boy dragging a stuffed teddy bear behind him… The newborn in that young mother's arms…. All of them… there was something… different about all of them. This happened whenever she was in a large crowd and the pressure of the all the bodies and voices started to press in on her. Wild imaginative fancies started to take hold of her mind and she started to imagine all the ways that these people might be out to get her… It was silly of course. Stupidly silly. It was impossible to think that a two-year-old boy might be in on some great conspiracy to track and trap her; even sillier to think that the newborn might have something sinister planned.

She didn't know why she felt this way, just that she did. It was odd… it hadn't always been like this. Only in the last couple years had the paranoia started to grip her in such an increasing fashion. And as much as she thought there was something… _wrong_… about these people, she felt oddly drawn to them. It was confusing and most of the time she tried to just put the thoughts away. But now, as Austin was frantically searching for her daughter, she began to think that maybe these people really were more than what they seemed. Maybe they'd been waiting here… waiting for her… waiting for Ivy… waiting to—

"Mom!!!" The high-pitched voice seemed to almost reverberate through her head, cutting off her thoughts. Austin whipped around in the direction of the voice, and saw Ivy running towards her clutching tightly to a dirty and ragged looking stuffed face hugger toy. She was dragging a small black suitcase behind her and wearing a relieved, yet slightly scared expression. And was that… just a hint of joy? Joy at seeing Austin? _Please… oh please God, let it be joy to see me…_, Austin thought silently even as she ran towards her daughter.

They quickly crossed the 25 feet or so to each other and she practically fell down on her knees as Ivy dropped the suitcase and threw her arms around Austin's neck. "Ivy… god.. I'm so glad you're alright."

"Jessica." Whispered Ivy softly, her face still buried in her mother's neck.

"What?" Austin ran her hand over Ivy's blond curls and pulled back a little to look at the girl's face, trying to clear the confusion from her head.

"Jessica. They think my name is Jessica." Ivy blinked slowly then turned to look over her shoulder. Austin looked up in time to see a flight attendant running frantically toward them, a security guard at her heels.

"Jessica!" The young brunette wore a slightly wrinkled uniform with a name tag that read 'Sally' and she looked slightly out of breath. "You can't just run away like that, Jessica! You need to stay with me unti-"

"I found her!" Ivy sheepishly smiled at the flight attendant and at the bitter looking security guard. "This is my mom."

"Oh!" The surprised woman looked Austin over, frowning slightly. Austin gave her an uncertain smile and gently pulled away from Ivy and stood up, holding her hand out a bit nervously. She was racing through her mind trying to remember the false name that Jeremy had procured for her just in case something like this happened. Jessica Michelle Smith was one of three or four false IDs for Ivy and she had a "Smith" one stashed away at home somewhere as well. She always had thought that Jeremy had been too overly cautious and had never really thought she would ever need those false documents he'd given her in case of emergency. It had been two years since she'd even looked at the false ID, and was having a hard time thinking of what Jessica's mother had been named.

"Stacy!" Austin said almost too enthusiastically as she remembered finally. "Stacy Smith."

"I see…" The flight attendant seemed almost reluctant to believe her, but the woman picking up Jessica was indeed supposed to be named Stacy Smith. There just seemed something not quite right about the woman standing there holding on to the little girl. There was an odd stiffness about her… like she wasn't really comfortable with the situation. "Well… I need you to sign some paperwork before Jessica can leave the airport… standard procedure, ma'am… when a child travels alone…"

"Oh yes… of course." Austin tried not to look too nervous and reached down to pick up Ivy's suitcase. Her daughter reached for her other hand and smiled up at her, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be ok. Niblet the face hugger was still being clutched tightly and Austin was glad to see that she still took comfort from the creepy looking toy after all these years. "I… hope it won't take long. I've got friends waiting to pick us up… I don't want to keep them waiting too long." Austin tried to make her voice sound friendly, but concerned. She really didn't want to be here any longer than necessary.

"Oh no, it will only take a minute. If you'll just follow me, I'll get you out of here in no time."

* * *

_Tap tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap taptaptap tap tap_. Donatello's fingers ran idly across a dented black keyboard on his desk that was missing the 'scroll lock' button. It was a junkyard find, same as the hard drive and the monitor that was receiving the little digital instructions from the _tap tap_ sounds. Every piece of equipment in his lab had been scrounged from various dumpsters and garbage heaps; there wasn't a junkyard in New York City that Donatello wasn't intimately familiar with. Not that that was a bad thing. His brain being what it was and his knack for electronics, combined with the dexterity a lifetime of ninja training had given him, there wasn't anything Donatello couldn't conceivably build. The Pentagon would probably kill for the computer setup that he had created down here in the sewers with his own two hands. 

The brainy turtle gave a little grunt of frustration and tapped a couple keys a little harder than was really necessary. Despite having one of the most elaborate electronic setups in the world, and despite having one of the sharpest minds in the world, he was having trouble. His trouble revolved around trying to find a person who didn't want to be found, which was actually a lot easier than it sounded most of the time. Less than a day was all he needed to find Austin in Ohio, and that had only been with a casual search program.

But try as he might, Don was having one hell of a time trying to find GeckoGirl23. Of course that wasn't her real name; he was having a hell of a time finding _that_ out as well. For the better part of a year now, he'd been spending a lot of his free time hacking into every relevant database he could find, and still couldn't find a trace of GeckoGirl23's true identity.

It had all started in a general science chat room that he frequented. About 3 years ago, TurtleGeek100 had logged online and met GeckoGirl23. It hadn't exactly been love at first byte. They often got into heated discussions over the moral nature of genetic engineering and other controversial scientific experiments and procedures that were rumored to be taking place in labs all over the world. Despite the fact that they shared a lot of the same philosophies, it was the little things that they seemed to argue about the most. But that's not to say that they ever really got angry or even upset. The discussions fueled each other's brains and forced their already genius intellects to think harder and more abstractly, something that Donatello never found when conversing with his brothers. They just didn't understand the way he thought and for most of his life it had been confusing and extremely frustrating to be the only one of his brothers who actually took an interest in science and engineering.

He had met other people in his science chat rooms, but none that he really felt connected to like GeckoGirl23. From the public chat, they'd eventually moved onto a private connection where they weren't bothered by geek wannabees with illogical and unreasonable theories. They had chatted many long nights away and to Donatello it seemed that perhaps he'd possibly found his soulmate; a thought which both excited him and horribly depressed him. She never asked for his picture though, never offered one of her own, and they never talked about actually meeting face to face. They'd never even exchanged their real names… a mistake which Donatello was now regretting.

About a year ago, GeckoGirl23 had unexpectedly dropped offline. He'd started his search for her then but had turned up no information. Then two months after their last chat, he received an apologetic e-mail from her. It had been incredibly brief and only stated that she was sorry she couldn't chat with him anymore, but that there were complications in her life. If she could get to a computer, she would write him again. Every couple months she would drop him a message, always from a different e-mail address, telling him that she missed their conversations, but that she was unable to find time to chat. Underneath everything she wrote there was an underlying implication that the reason she wasn't online anymore was not because she didn't want to be, but because something was keeping her from it.

He'd tracked down the actual physical locations of where she was sending the e-mail's from, and they were never sent from the same place twice. From what he'd been able to piece together, it seemed as if she was actually breaking into libraries or even small town internet café's to send her messages. They were always sent at night, and from establishments that were closed for the evening. But for all his genius, Donatello had still been unable to establish an identity for GeckoGirl23. Every attempt at finding the place where she had originally been chatting from was met with a brick wall. She had been incredibly clever and it seemed that her abilities to hide her identity were even better than Donnie's hacking abilities. This both intrigued and aggravated him.

With a sigh, he sat back from his computer and cracked his knuckles. It was unacceptable to think that there was something he wasn't able to find out with enough research. He had always prided himself on his abilities yet as frustrated as he was now, he still wasn't going to give up. He would find GeckoGirl23. And then he would proceed to probably not do anything about it. Because honestly… what was there that a mutant turtle could do for a girl who was hundreds of miles away and not wanting to be found?

* * *

"She seems nice." April's voice cut through Raphael's thoughts as he again sat down on the floor of the van. They had already circled once through the heavy traffic around the terminal and with no sign of Austin, April was guiding the van through its next circuit. 

Raphael only grunted a reply, too busy concentrating on all the things that could happen while he was away from Austin. His fingers were idly playing with the handles of the sais on his belt and if truth be told he was incredibly nervous and seriously considering jumping out of the van and running after Austin, public exposure be damned It seemed to him like every time she was out of his sight, something went wrong. Austin was turning out to be quite the pain in his ass… and no doubt she felt the same way about him. Only God knew how the two of them were ever going to make it together without killing each other in frustration.

"A little bit crazy, but she'd have to be to put up with you." April glanced over her shoulder at the brooding turtle behind her. When her friendly taunt still didn't elicit an answer April sighed and rolled her eyes at him in the rearview mirror. "You should relax, Raph. She'll be fine." The turtle glanced up briefly, his eyes narrow and harsh; April knew they weren't angry at her though. She and Raph had been through too much together for him to ever be that mad at her. "Seriously. If anything you've told me is true, the guys going after these 'supernaturals' or whatever they're calling themselves aren't going to risk exposing themselves at a crowded airport terminal." April gave him a sarcastic grin. "I'm sure they'll at least do us the courtesy of following us home and jumping us there."

"Not funny, April." Raph growled and clenched his hand tighter around the deadly weapons at his side.

"Oh please. I haven't yet seen you guys go up against some crazy mad scientist that you haven't beaten, so I'm not quite sure what it is exactly that you're afraid of this time."

"Hey, I'm not_afraid_." The van slowed to a halt among the many vehicles trying to drop off and pick up passengers and April, keeping one foot on the brake, turned around in the seat to look at him. Despite what he might have said, she could clearly read the emotions playing behind his eyes.

"Okay… I don't know what you're so _worried_ about, then. How many big bad megalomaniacs have you four gone up against? And how many of them actually won? I mean seriously, Raph. You're all still alive and most of them are dead or too scared to go up against you again. So what is it, exactly, that you think you can't protect her from?"

"Herself." His quick reply took April a little by surprise and she just stared at him as he removed his hands from his sais. "Y'said it yourself, April. She's a little bit crazy. She'll do something stupid and it'll get her killed. She needs to stop being so fucking stubborn!" He growled the last few words and pounded a fist down on the floor of the van.

April jumped in surprise as a horn honked behind the van, and quickly turning around she realized that traffic was starting to move around the terminal again. She let off the brake as she looked into the rear-view mirror once more. "You do realize how funny that sounds considering the source, right Raph?"

"Yah, I'm a friggin' hypocrite."

"As long as you realize it."

* * *

**Author Notes:** Okay. That chapter took… about a year and a half to write. …I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please review and let me know if you're even still interested. 


	7. Michelangelo's Interlude

**Disclaimer:** I own not the turtles, but of the Austin and the Honey; she is mine.

**Author's Notes:** Yah. I know. I didn't think it would happen either. But… another chapter. It's short, but I'm posting it so that I can give people time to try and remember what's been happening in the story before I delve into some MAJOR backstory in the next chapter. Here's a quick recap for those of you who need the memory jog. Austin is currently at the airport picking up her daughter Ivy. April and Raphael drove her there. Splinter is currently on vacation so the guys are on their own. Donnie is trying to track down the elusive GeckoGirl23. And in California, a Tracker demon was chastising a team of operatives that clumsily and hastily raided the Miracle's safehouse. They captured a few, a Water Magi escaped, and Jeremy is on the run. …anymore than that, e-mail me and I'll try to explain what you've forgotten. :) It would probably be easier to re-read the story though. I know I had to yesterday, just to figure out where to go from here.

**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Chapter 6**

**Michelangelo's Interlude**

* * *

Michelangelo sighed audibly and glanced up at the old black and white Felix the cat clock on the wall of his bedroom. It was almost 10:30pm. Almost. Those last few minutes were dragging on so slowly that he could nearly swear that time itself had decided that he, Michelangelo, was its personal enemy. And as said personal enemy, Time was bound and determined to keep Mikey from any and all happiness that he might have gained from the Universe reaching that wonderful, magical minute of 10:30pm. In fact, even as he stared at the clock, the second hand seemed to slow down by a fraction of a second just for the sole purpose of taunting him.

Mikey supposed that he could have simply reached up and advanced the clock forward by 47 seconds so that Time might be fooled into thinking it was 10:30pm when it really wasn't. That was cheating though. Mikey knew it, and Time knew it. And Time wasn't very forgiving. In fact… when you thought about it… Time was downright mean. Time was that bully on the playground who beat you up on first break and took your lunch money! And then he beat you up on second break because it hadn't been _enough_ money to buy the very last piece of chocolate cake from the cafeteria lady! And _then_ Time dragged you into the bathroom and gave you a swirly because you tried to cheat him out of 47 seconds! Michelangelo had never actually been to school though, so he was just guessing.

In an effort to occupy those last precious seconds, the orange-clad turtle hopped off his bed and quickly crept to door of his room with all the stealth that a lifetime of ninja training had given him. He very softly opened the door and peaked out, listening for any sign that there might be an overly inquisitive brother waiting to find out just what kind of mischief he was getting into at this time of night. There _seemed_ to be no one around, but Mikey didn't want to take any chances. His eyes shifted beadily as he glanced from side to side, sure that any moment either Donatello or Leonardo would come walking up and demand that he give an explanation for why he was sitting quietly in his room instead of making noise and being generally obnoxious. He knew he didn't need to worry about Raph. Even if his tantrum-prone brother had been down in the lair, he wouldn't give two craps what Mikey was up to. Holding his breath and straining to hear even the slightest sound, Michelangelo thought that he could just make out the faint tapping of sounds coming from the direction of Donnie's lab. He wasn't sure, but it did indeed possibly sound like it might definitely be the probable sounds of perhaps _maybe_ a keyboard. If so, that meant one turtle down, one to go. So where did that leave Leo? Well, at 10:29pm he was most likely enjoying a relaxing cup of tea in his room. Or he was out and about on the town, searching for pickpockets and homeless drunks to lecture.

Finally confident that there was no risk of being overheard, he closed the door, taking care not to make even the slightest of clicks as the latch caught. As quiet as a mouse, Michelangelo reached over and grabbed the battered wooden chair sitting next to the door and ever so gently wedged it under the knob. No one was coming into his bedroom in the next 20 minutes. No sir, no how. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to glance at the clock once more, but his heart sank heavily in his chest as he saw that he still had 12 seconds left. Why?! Why must Time torture him like this?? He'd waited patiently ALL day long and now it seemed like these last few seconds were going to kill him. His breath caught in his chest as he watched the little black tail on the clock swing oh-so-slowly back and forth. 10 seconds now… Oh sweet merciful God, please! What had he ever done in his life to be cursed like this? What possible sin could have earned him such a harsh and agonizing punishment. 5 seconds. It was as if the world around him had frozen completely. It would never happen. Never. Time would withhold this moment of pure and utter joy from him forever. 2 seconds. Oh cursed be the eternal being of utter hate and despair that was Time!

But then as the clock finally hit 10:30pm, Mikey realized something. Time wasn't the bully that beat you up for not having enough money for the last piece of chocolate cake! Time was actually the wonderful cafeteria lady who _saved_ the last piece of chocolate cake. Time was _giving_ him the cake because it felt sorry for him! Time loved him! Time wanted to please him!! Time had finally brought 10:30pm to him, and happiness would finally be his!!!

With a quickness and agility that would have shamed a Speedy Gonzales on crack, Michelangelo launched himself at the scratched and dented yet still operational 1983 novelty Kermit the Frog phone that Donatello had given to him as a Christmas present four years ago. Donnie had found the phone used and abandoned in a junkyard somewhere down by the riverfront and brought it home to fix up. Of course, he had also repainted it and filled in as many of the dents as possible, and it had been restored to near perfection. Upon receiving it that lovely Christmas morning, Michelangelo had declared Donatello his most favorite person ever and vowed to never play a prank on him or annoy him ever again. The vow lasted as long as it took to open up Raphael's present, which happened to be a brand new skateboard. Thus Raphael was declared the new favorite person. Until he opened April's gift… and so on and so on. There were many favorites declared that day.

But back to the present magical minute of 10:30pm and that wonderful Kermit phone. Unfortunately for the phone, Mikey wasn't as careful with his stuff as his brothers were and thus the Kermit had been hit over and over with many the stray nunchaku, basketball, and any other flying object that happened to have been lobbed across the room. Klunk had even knocked it over a time or two. And as he lunged for it now, he was just a fraction of an inch off and his finger managed to knock the green figurine over instead of the desired effect, which had been to pick up the receiver and proceed to dial the phone number that was now etched in Mikey's heart and also in the diary that he would have denied having until his dying breath.. Michelangelo gasped loudly (although anyone listening would have claimed that it sounded more like a little girly shriek) and scrambled to recover the fumbled telephone. He just barely got one hand around the receiver before his other hand was dialing the phone number, desperate to regain those oh so precious lost seconds. Even as the first ring sounded in his ear, he flung himself onto his bed and scooted backward until he was comfortably propped up on his pillows and looking for all the world like this was nothing more than just a plain ol' casual run-of-the-mill phone call. Like he really couldn't care less who answered on the other side. Like he was just chillin'. The youngest of the turtle brothers let out a little calming breath and tried to steady his rapidly beating heart. It just wouldn't do to let the person on the other end know how excited he really was. _Click_.

"I believe that this legally qualifies as harassment." The silky smooth voice on the other end of the line didn't even wait for him to identify himself. Yet despite the words, there was a slight tone of amusement and just the hint of smile. Michelangelo felt himself grinning like a maniac and nearly wiggling with happiness. She had the absolute most wonderful voice he'd ever heard, and not to mention she was drop dead gorgeous. And she was talking to _him_.

"I have _no_ idea what you're going on about." What was wrong with one little phone call? It was a free country! He could call her if he wanted!

"Of course you don't." She obviously didn't believe him.

"Not a clue. So… whatcha doin'?" He could imagine her in his head. She was sitting back, relaxing with a hot cup of coffee, running her fingers playfully through her long honey-blonde hair. Mikey thought it probably smelled of flowers… or maybe coconut. Maybe coconut scented flowers.

"Same thing I do every night, Michelangelo."

"Uh… try to take over the world?" Hah! He was so clever. There was no way she couldn't laugh at that one.

"That was only funny the first time, Mikey." Okay… so it might not have been _as_ funny the eighteenth time around, but that joke would never get old. _Never_.

"So... Uh… you on break?"

"You know that I am." Of course he did. She went on break everyday at 10:30pm, except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Unless she was working overtime to cover for someone else. "You call me every day whether I like it or not."

"If you didn't like it, you wouldn't be sitting in the office talking to me right now, would you?" His logic was _flawless_.

"Well, unless I have the police tracing the line to track you down and arrest you for the aforementioned harassment."

Mikey was speechless for a second. "You uh…. You don't, do you?"

There was a small laugh on the other end and he could swear he saw her flipping her hair in a flirty way over her shoulder and smiling at him. "Of course not. I find you way too amusing to have you arrested. Besides, you're basically harmless."

He gasped and put a hand to his chest in mock shock. "Harmless? Moi??? Don't you know that I'm a classically trained ninja who's dropped 20 guys in less than 5 seconds? You'd never see me coming! I'm silent! And sneaky! And stealthy! I have all the skill and grace of a ballerina at Julian!!"

"Julliard."

"That place too!"

She laughed again and Michelangelo just knew that if he could find a way to break the whole turtle thing to her easy, she'd be more than willing to go on a date with him and possibly kiss him and marry him and live forever happily with him. They'd have at least five children together and his firstborn son would be named Jackie Jet Norris.

A small silence settled over the line and Mikey heard himself asking Honey Gravois how her day at work was going.

"Eh, not too bad. I've only had to kick one asshole out of the café tonight. I thought being night supervisor was going to be a lot harder than this. I really hope Austin lets me keep this position once she takes over The Celestial. Oh hey, did you know she's back in town?"

"Yah… I heard." Mikey really didn't want to be talking about Austin right now. Yah, she was a nice girl and everything, but he was more interesting in talking about Honey… and himself. Besides, Austin was all that Raph had been obsessing over this last month and he honestly didn't see what was so special about her. Sure she was cute.. and funny.. and she had a really nice rack… but quite honestly she was a bit too insane even for the likes of the Michelangelo. There was a very thin line between wacky fun and wacky insane, and Austin seemed to have carelessly bounded over that border without even looking twice. Honey on the other hand…

It had started out innoncent, as most things tend to. Mikey, calling The Celestial Café once or twice a day to see if anyone had heard anything about where Austin had gone. He'd even gone with Raphael to stake out the café for a few nights. And that's when he'd noticed _her_. Blonde hair, brown eyes, pink fuzzy sweater, skin-tight jeans, and a no-nonsense attitude mixed with the most beautiful laugh he'd ever heard in his life. The binoculars he'd swiped from Donatello had told him her name. _Honey_. Ah, a sweet name for a sweet girl. He started calling over and over just to hear her voice answer the silliest questions about store hours, (They were open at 4am and closed sometime after midnight), coffee varieties (twelve premium flavors, three espresso blends, one house blend, and they also carried twenty-five different flavors of organic herbal teas), what they had to eat (soups, sandwiches, homemade breads and a couple different cakes and pastries), and do they cater? (Yes, they do!) After a week of strategically planned random calls, her voice had finally just told him matter-of-factly that she went on break in ten minutes and if he really wanted to talk to her that badly then he should just call her on the separate office line so he wasn't tying it up for _real_ customers. Honey Gravois then rattled off a number and plainly asked him if he needed it to be repeated. Sheepishly, Mikey had stammered and answered 'yes' and there had been a slightly annoyed sigh on the other end. She had given him the number again, slower than was really necessary, and then told him, "Ten minutes."

Michelangelo had been afraid to call her back, yet more afraid not to. If he couldn't find the courage to call her back right now when she wanted him to, then he'd definitely never be able to find the courage to call her back in the future. With gut-wrenching terror, Mikey had sat in his room staring at the clock and begging whatever powers be watching over him for deadly Foot assault on his home in which he would be left lying dead on the floor before that little black hand could hit 10:30pm. When the Foot still hadn't shown up at thirty seconds after, Michelangelo bit the bullet and dialed the number she'd given him, nausea building in his stomach until he thought he'd vomit when he heard her voice on the line. Somehow though, by some grand miracle, he managed to keep down the chili cheese fries he'd had for dinner and had not made a fool of himself.

After the first few awkward moments, Mikey had found that she was surprisingly easy to talk to and over the course of the last month they had become rather good friends; at least _he_ liked to think so. Honey seemed to be amused by him and she hadn't told him to leave her alone yet so he had hope that one day he might actually get to meet her face to face. Yes, it was a slim hope considering what he was, but hope was better than sitting down here night after night wallowing in self pity and loneliness for the rest of his life.

"So, what do you think?"

Mikey blinked dumbly and realized that he'd completely been spacing out on what Honey was talking about. "Uh… about what?"

"C'mon, Mikey, just give me a yes or no answer."

"…yes?" He cringed and prayed that was what she wanted to hear.

"Really?!"

She sounded so excited that he almost groaned out loud. _Oh craptar._ Mikey desperately searched his memory for any indication of what he'd just agreed to, but couldn't seem to remember even one word of what Honey had said. "Uh… wait.."

"No! You can't take it back, you already agreed! My shift ends at 1am tonight, after I finish with paperwork."

"But-" The panic started to rise in Michelangelo. _Oh HOLY craptar._

"I'll wait outside and you better not be late. I don't want to walk all the way to my apartment by myself."

"No, Hone-" He held his hand up and gestured for her to stop, forgetting that his telephone did not yet have video capabilities.

"Hey, I need to get back to work. We're short-handed tonight. See you at one!"

_*click*_

There was a sudden dropping of lead in his stomach and the dial tone seemed to mock the racing of his heart. _Oh. Holy. Freakin'. Craptar._ He slowly pulled the receiver away from his ear and stared at it as if he'd never seen it before. Honey wanted him to walk her home… The part of him that wasn't nearly wetting himself in fear was a tiny bit excited. She wanted him to walk her home! But… there was just a couple of small problems… Okay, more like one big problem.

But then again… if Raphael could do it, why couldn't he? Mikey almost slapped himself as soon as he realized how silly that sounded. Yah, as if _anything_ Raph did was ever the smart or right thing to do. He bit his lip and looked at the receiver, still buzzing mockingly at him. He could dial the main line of the café and explain that he hadn't realized what she meant. That he couldn't meet her tonight because he was busy… uh… cleaning his room. Or something. But she'd sounded so happy when he said 'yes'. Mikey sighed and gently set the receiver back down on Kermit's dented outstretched leg. His stomach felt like it was a spin cycle going around at full speed.

Maybe he could just… walk in the shadows. Maybe she wouldn't notice? Maybe he could just not show and lose her trust and her friendship and never ever speak to her again because she hated him so much for making her walk home alone. The thought made Mikey feel like he had to throw up. That was just not acceptable. Nevermind the fact that if she found out what he really was, he'd probably never get to see her again anyway because she'd be too freaked and would probably call animal control on him or something. What the shell had he just gotten himself into?

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Haha! I'm writing again. Here's hoping that a few of you have a little faith in me still. I know I need all the support I can get to keep writing this thing.


	8. Life, Death, Sex, and Cats

**Author's Notes:** Just so everyone isn't confused, I'm going to state the lineage here again for refresher purposes. The flashback drops a few names you might not remember. Austin is the biological daughter of Susan. Susan is the daughter of Terri and Bill Bridger. Bill had a twin sister named Jillian, and _they _were the children of Rosemary Bridger (who is narrating the tale to Susan at the beginning of this chapter). As you may remember from a previous flashback, a very pregnant Susan dropped in on Rosemary and the subject of her ancestry came up. Susan was freaking out about there being something evil or wrong with the baby she was carrying.

**Further Misadventures (of the Mentally Unstable)**

**Chapter 7**

**Life, Death, Sex, and Cats**

**

* * *

**

_24 years ago_

"_When I say that you are descended from the blood of angels, Susan, I don't mean the kind you learned about in Sunday school. It's merely a term, for lack of a better word. Although many storytellers have come up with different names for us, angels and demons are what we've always considered ourselves since the first of the bloodlines heard the terms and came to understand the importance of them in normal 'human' cultures. You've always known there was something different about me, haven't you Susan? I thought I was the last to carry Helda's blood in our family, but it seems as if it has skipped a few generations and you now carry a child that will manifest powers someday that are inherited from me . No, I don't know what those powers will be yet, but they will be something special. I can feel it already._

_My great-great-great-great-great grandmother first told me this story when I was 5 years old. She was six hundred years and dying. That's the gift of our line, Susan. It's not immortality, but something very very close. At least for the first ten generations it was. Of all our direct ancestors leading back to Helda, three are still alive. I occasionally receive a message from one of them, but they mostly keep to themselves. They are too far removed from human culture and they wish to stay that way. Helda herself of course will probably never die, for she is one of the Fallen. But her daughter, granddaughter, and great-great-granddaughter are still alive. Many of our ancestors never died of old age, but of unfortunate accidents. Of course the power diminishes as the lines are the lines carry on, so mothers tend to outlive their children. _

_I am 165 years old, Susan. I know, I don't look it, but it's true. I imagine I have another good fifty years to go before I even need to worry about dentures. I had thought that the power in our blood ended with me, for I gave birth to a son. The first son ever in Helda's line. Power is only passed from mother to daughter, you see, at least in our family. There must have been some residuals passed into your father, and now into you, for your child will have power. She will probably have a long life, like me. But other than that, I cannot tell you. There is stability in the blood, but also a touch of… magical roulette, I guess would be a good term. My lot was a form of visions. Things that will come to pass. Yes, I can see the future, occasionally. I saw you, Susan. Not two minutes before you arrived here. I knew something had happened. _

_But that's not important right now. What I want to tell you is why we have this power. Imagine another world. Not another planet, dear Susan but another dimension, you could call it. Another layer to the universe; one where instead of humans, there was a race of beings of great magical power. Such a place exists, and it was many thousands of years ago that a war was fought there. There were three sides to this war. One was the army of the sitting king. His throne was being challenged by two of his children, and they had each gathered a substantial force to go up against their father. But they made mistakes and were careless as children often are. They did not count on their remaining siblings to bind together against them and support their father's throne. The war was not long, and many lives were lost. Those that had not taken the side of the king and survived the battles were banished from the realm. In order to insure that they would not come back and try to avenge their leader's deaths, they were scattered among not just our world, but many others. To this day we do not know who went were, only who was sent here. Our great ancestor was one of these 'Fallen', as they like to call themselves. _

_And so we have lived and died here on our Earth for thousands of years. There are only a few of the original Fallen still surviving, Helda being one of them. Long life is an uncommon gift among them, and most of the lines have become so diluted that they no longer exist. There are a few though… a handful left scattered all over the world. I've not met many other descendents of the Fallen, but I know they are out there, trying to live their lives just as we are. Some are good, decent people. But some have been corrupted by their powers. Be wary, Susan. Not all of them can be trusted."_

* * *

Raphael had gone up against men three times his size and won. He'd faced off against creatures straight out of the darkest nightmares and emerged victorious. He'd even braved the deadly odors of the bathroom following Mikey's infamous Chili Cheese Nacho Extravaganza Night and somehow, by the grace of God, managed to survive. But none of those things unnerved him quite so much as the little blond haired, blue eyed angelic visage that was turned in the front seat of April's van and staring daggers at him. She was clutching a ripped and patched stuffed creature that was straight out of the Alien movies, and her nose was scrunched up in angry defiance that he had seen more than once on Austin's pretty face. There was no doubt about it. This was Austin's kid.

Austin herself was clutching at Ivy's backpack as she sat across from the giant turtle in the back of the van once again. She was glancing nervously between the two of them as April hummed to herself in the front, trying to act as though she wasn't listening to the conversation at all.

"I _said _I don't like you." Ivy blinked once and pointed a small finger at Raphael.

He glared right back and sneered, idly fingering the handle of one of his sais. "Yah, the feeling's mutual, twerp."

"Ivy! That wasn't very nice." Austin shook her head and tried to give Ivy the best 'mom look' that she could manage. It wasn't very good.

"Well, he hits you! _That's_ not nice!" Ivy protested loudly. She turned her eyes back to Raphael. "It's not nice to hit people! You shouldn't do it!"

He blinked a couple times in surprise then narrowed his eyes at the little brat. "I don't do nothin' to yer mom that she don't want me to."

"Raph!" Austin scowled him and Ivy both. "Ivy! Stop it. He doesn't hit me, sweetie. Where would you get an idea like that? You just met him!"

Ivy stuck her tongue out at her mom's boyfriend. "Daddy said so."

"I knew I hated that guy." Raphael practically growled as he looked over at the woman across from him. As much as he wanted to be with Austin, this little brat was seriously trying his patience. Patience which had already been worn thin over the past month.

"Jeremy?" Austin looked genuinely shocked. "Why would he say something like that? Ivy, what did he tell you?"

Ivy stopped glaring at Raphael long enough to look slightly pensive. "He didn't _tell_ me anything. I heard him tell Kylie."

"Heard him tell Kylie _what_, exactly?" Austin knew there was no way that Jeremy would lie like that. Where had _he_ gotten that crazy idea from?

Ivy wrinkled up her nose again and pointed at Raphael. "Daddy said that you're banging up my mom. That's not nice."

There was a shocked silence from the back of the van as Raphael and Austin looked at each other, but the vehicle swerved a teensy bit as April burst out laughing in the driver's seat. She struggled to keep control of the wheel as Ivy continued to scowl in everyone's direction. "What's so funny?"

A huge grin broke out on Raphael's face and with a glint in his eye he leaned forward and grabbed Austin by the arms. The backpack went flying toward the back of the van as he unceremoniously pulled her into his lap. "I guess I do enjoy 'bangin' you up', don't I?"

"Don't hit her!" Ivy protested again and tried to unbuckle her seatbelt, ready to jump back there and defend her mother's honor if need be.

Between laughs, April managed to put her hand over the little girl's and shake her head. "He doesn't hit her. It's okay."

"Oh, I _like _to hit this." Raphael spanked Austin's ass with a sharp laugh and she let out a little yelp of surprise.

"Raph!" Austin couldn't stop herself from blushing slightly and giggling. "She's sitting _right there_." Turning her face toward her daughter, Austin somehow managed to explain. "He doesn't hit me, Ivy. It's just a… phrase. It means…" She stopped herself and wiggled uncomfortably, glancing at Raph.

"It means what, babe?" Raphael tapped his fingers on her thigh and silently dared her to tell the truth.

"It means… um… Raph and I…. uh…" Austin desperately tried to come up with something, but her mind was drawing a complete blank. "We're… dating."

Ivy looked at the two of them for a moment and then surprise came to her face as she exclaimed, "You're _having sex??_"

April covered her mouth in laughter once again as she looked in the rearview mirror at Austin trying to keep her composure. "Ivy! Where… how…"

"You're having sex with _him_?" Ivy looked horrified.

"How do you know about sex, Ivy?" Austin somehow managed to look both shocked and relieved. At least she wouldn't be having the awkward 'birds and bees' conversation with her daughter. Raphael's grin just seemed to grow wider as the conversation went on.

"Daddy got me a book about it." The little girl seemed to calm down a little bit.

"He did _what_?"

"After I walked in on Uncle Harold and Aunt Wendy. Did you know he has fur _everywhere_? He has a fuzzy butt!" The thought seemed to jar Ivy out of her anger and she started giggling to herself. "It's _really_ fuzzy. I called him that for a week! Fuzzy butt! Daddy said it wasn't very funny, but he still laughed." Ivy kept giggling to herself and clutched the facehugger tight against her. She finally turned back around and looked out the window at the sights of New York City all around. "Wow… look at all the _lights_. It's so bright out! Mom! Look! There's a guy over there peeing on a dumpster! Look! Look!!" She pressed her face against the window and stared out, her voice jabbering on, seemingly oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place. April smiled and started pointing things out to the little girl, trying to keep her distracted.

Austin simply stared at her daughter in amazement.

"Whoa." Raphael mused. "It's like watching a little mini-you, ain't it? Easily distracted by shiny objects." Austin shot a small glare his way and punched him on the arm, but he only leaned in and nipped at her neck.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do with her, Raph." Austin closed her eyes and leaned against the hardness of his shell. "I'm not mom material."

"Eh. Just throw a shot of liquor in her juice. That'll calm her down."

"Yah, let's get her hooked on the bottle at _seven_. Jeremy will be thrilled with me." The thought of her former boyfriend made Austin wary. She had no idea where he was or what was happening to him right now. If he was on the run from Adair, then he wouldn't be contacting her very often, and there were so many things she needed to ask him about Ivy. Did she have a bedtime? Was she allergic to anything? What size clothes did she wear? Austin sighed heavily as she realized that the pack Ivy had brought with her contained very few, if any changes of clothes. They'd have to go shopping and Austin had _no_ clue where to even start.

* * *

"I've had enough! I've been your little spy for sixteen years! No more! No fucking more!" The gray shimmering form of Devon William Bridger was visibly trembling with rage. Despite the fact that he didn't need air to survive, his nostrils were flaring with every 'breath' he took. His smoky grey eyes flashed dangerously and the temperature in the large audience hall lowered by a few degrees. "I've done everything you've ever asked of me and all that happened was that I ruined her fucking life!"

"You forget who you're talking to." The woman's voice was quiet, yet it reverberated through the room like the aftershocks of an earthquake.

"Fuck you!"

"You know I don't appreciate that vulgar language, Devon."

"Oh, how careless of me." He sneered and waved a hand dismissively at her. "What was I thinking, attacking the vulnerable sensibilities of a manipulative controlling cold-hearted bitch like you?"

"Take care with your words, _boy_. I resurrected your miserable excuse for a spirit and I can send you back to where I found you!"

"I dare you!" The woman pursed her lips and frowned at him. Her fingers twitched just slightly in his direction as if she was trying to hold herself back from following through with her threat. "It's never going to end, Mara. All this time you kept promising; you kept _lying_. Telling me you'd let me go back to rest if I just did what you wanted for a little while longer. It's been _16 years_. For the love of God, Mara… just let me rest."

"Austi-"

"Don't you DARE tell me that she needs me anymore. I had to watch her be tortured and raped and not be able to stop it! _Four fucking years!! _And she still hasn't manifested any of those stupid powers you thought she would! It was all for nothing!" There was a small ripple of air emanating from Devon's pissed off spirit and if Mara was surprised to see him unknowingly manipulating the physical world, she didn't seem to show it.

"There's still time for it to happen. And if it does happen, we need to be ready." She leaned back more comfortably into the dark green velvet-backed chair, which honestly was more like a throne. "Helda is worried that-"

"Helda doesn't worry about anything but herself." Devon spit the words out. "And all _you_ want is to be able to control those powers if they _did_ manifest. Which they _won't. _Just face it. You guys screwed up. You took all your little prophecies and twisted them into what you thought they meant, and Austin suffered because of it. She isn't the one you're looking for. Besides, neither of you even care about her. You don't care about this _world_. All Helda wants is a way to go home, and all you want is power. I hate both of you!"

The corners of Mara's lips twitched and she narrowed her eyes even further at the spirit in front of her. "Even if we are wrong, and we aren't, Austin is still of our bloodline and we protect what is ours."

"What, like you protected me from that psycho with a knife?"

"I brought you back, didn't I? You still exist. Technically, you aren't completely dead."

"What kind of existence is this?" Devon practically growled at her as he motioned sharply at his misty form. "I can't touch anything. I can't _feel_ anything. You don't care about bloodlines. You only care about what benefits you."

"Well, I guess you've figured me out. I don't care about you at all. In fact, you never would have been brought back except for Helda demanded it." Her eyes glittered menacingly as she examined her immaculately groomed fingernails. "I've grown weary of you, Devon. As it so happens, my mother has decided that you are of no more use to us anyway." Her cruel smile grew wide in satisfaction. "As soon as she gives me the word, I'll put you back in your miserable excuse for a grave. But don't get too excited. I'll make you suffer for a few more decades before I do it, though. Perhaps even stretch it out for centuries. You know I have all the time in the world to torture you."

A small sound caught their attention and they both looked up to see another woman entering the room through the large double doors at one end of the large hall.

With a slight panic that did not seem to match the regal attire she was wearing, Mara scrambled out of the velvet chair and practically stepped through Devon in order to clear a path for her mother. The woman walking lightly towards them was wearing an ivory gown made of an airy material that almost seemed to float around her instead of falling like normal fabric. Small silver cords held the dress in place much in the style of ancient roman togas, yet somehow it seemed more elegant than just a simply shift. The fabric was split from her hips all the way to the hem that brushed gently at her feet. The silver ribbons laced up her legs were more decoration than anything else, for the woman was completely barefoot and on the black marble her feet made no sound. Her approach was deceivingly fast and she had crossed the hall in mere seconds, much too fast for a normal human.

"Helda. You have come back early…" Mara said softly and bowed, her eyes not meeting the other woman's. Compared to the grace and adornment of her mother, Mara almost seemed a peasant in rags, despite the crimson velvet and gold trim that her own Victorian gown was made of.

Helda nodded slightly to the younger woman and the white-blond of her waist-length hair seemed to shimmer in the candle-light. Her piercing grey eyes narrowed as she took her proper place in the chair so recently vacated by Mara. The fabric of her dress drifted lazily down in a revealing way, leaving one leg completely bare all the way up to her hip. Helda though, didn't even seem to notice that in normal society her dress would have been considered indecent. She leaned back and her gaze traveled from the prostrate form of her daughter to the angry form of the dead man's spirit.

"Tsk tsk, Mara. I thought I'd raised you better than that. Perhaps I should have had you whipped as a child? That is no way to speak to one of your descendants." Her pale flawless face tilted in a questioning way, but her eyes showed nothing but annoyance.

"I… I apologize, mother. I simply tho-"

"Two thousand years, and you are still calling me 'mother'. What have I said about that?"

"I am sorry, Helda."

Helda lifted a delicate hand and dismissed the apology with a small wave. "Leave us, Mara. I would speak with Devon alone."

"But-"

"Silence!" Helda cut her off sharply and pointed to the gilded double doors at the end of the hall. "Your pet is no longer yours. I will not have you disrespect him anymore than you have." Mara stood, seething for a few moments, then turned abruptly and stalked out of the great hall as gracefully as her reddening face allowed. The slam of the doors resounded through the hall and Devon tried to hide a satisfied smile at seeing the humiliation of his mistress. His smile died though as he turned back to Helda, wondering what this ethereal beauty had in store for him.

"I must apologize for my daughter's behavior. She has grown more impudent as the years have gone by. I will admit that I am becoming more than a little annoyed with her." Unsure of what to say, Devon simply looked at her. "While I am gifted with powers of life and healing, Mara was born the opposite. I do think that after spending two millennia communing mostly with the dead, her own heart has hardened to the point she might as well be dead herself."

Helda stopped and pursed her lips daintily while studying Devon's shimmering form. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes for a few moments, then abruptly changed the subject. "While I am not too proud to admit that I may be wrong about the prophecies, I do not think I made a mistake asking you to watch over her. Although, she would have been safer if you would have followed the orders I gave you."

"You-" Devon started to form an argument, but was cut off by Helda.

"I am _not_ finished. You were careless. It _was_ because of you that she was taken to that institute. You were supposed to encourage her to run away from her family, but you just had to play those little games with her and her… what do they call them? Head doctors?"

"Psychiatrists." Devon whispered grudgingly.

"Yes, them. If not for those little exchanges, and you providing information to Austin that you shouldn't have, there would never have been any suspicion that there was anything other than trauma and stress wrong with her. Do not even begin to think that you are blameless for what happened to her."

Devon ground his teeth together and forced himself not to disagree. She was right and he knew it. It was guilt that he'd lived with for many many years. Ironic, considering he wasn't even alive. "But you could have rescued her sooner. You did nothing for four years."

Helda waved a hand dismissively. "Four years, four hours. Time does not matter to me, and we all have our own problems to deal with. She was rescued before her father found her there and that's all that matters."

"If you're so worried about her father, why not just go after the bastard yourself? Just kill him and no more worries!" He could feel the anger rising in him yet again, just as it always did when speaking with these… these _women_. If you could call them that.

"Enough! I will not have you questioning me anymore. What's done is done and I do not care to discuss it." Her mist-grey eyes narrowed at him and she stood up from the chair with an otherworldly grace. Just as she always did, Helda did not show any emotions behind her words other than mild annoyance. No one other than Helda herself ever knew what she was thinking or how she felt about it, and it was very frustrating to someone like Devon who had been an open book all throughout his physical life. "Unlike Mara, I care what happens to all of those in my bloodline, and your death was unfortunate. While you do not carry any of the powers of my line, I still feel and I thank you for all you have done for me despite your mistakes. Tell me something, Devon… If I were to free you from Mara's grasp, what would you do? Would you wish your spirit released to rest, or would you go back to Austin? If I asked you to keep an eye on her still, would you be willing?"

Release. Sweet blessed relief of this horrible non-existence. It was all he'd been wishing for the past sixteen years. Devon stared at the beautiful creature that had come to stop only inches from his floating form. Could it be possible that she'd actually let him go? But Austin… if given the freedom to continue to watch over and protect her…

"I won't do what I've been doing. I won't push her away from anyone. I won't control her life. She's not a little girl anymore, and I have no right telling her what to do. Neither do you. If you're going to send me back to do what I've been doing then I'd rather you put me in the grave where I belong."

Helda gave him a small smile, the first she'd given anyone in more than two hundred years. "Perhaps I've seen the error of my ways and that my initial plans were not the most thoroughly thought out. Where mortals are concerned I tend to act quickly and almost always rashly. Better to act immediately, than wait to find that twenty of your years have passed and I still have not acted. That's a mistake I've made before. So this is all I will ask of you. Take care of her, and keep her safe as best you can. What I'm going to do for you, boy, I do for three reasons. The first being that it will make my daughter extremely mad and force her to realize that anything she can do, I can undo. Also, you are the first to stand up to her in a long while and it has provided me with much amusement. That alone is worth giving you this gift; I do not find pleasure any many things anymore, but Mara's frustration with you is just _delightful_ to watch. The third reason is because your death was unfair, and it was just as unfair to ask all we have of you. You deserve more respect than that." One small graceful finger reached up and gently stroked Devon's cheek. He froze in shock as he realized that he could feel her touch on his cheek. He could _feel_ it, a burning streak on his face that seemed to reach right into his soul. Helda nodded slightly and raised her other hand to cup his face. "I give you back the gift of life."

* * *

"Okay, this one? Or this one?"

"Mrrrow?" The little orange tabby sitting demurely on Mikey's unmade bed tilted his head questioningly and lifted one soft white paw to bat at the silk ties dangling enticingly over his head.

"Okay, but what about this one?"

"Mrrrow?" A tiny claw snagged the bottom of a forest green tie that was decorated with a small yellow frog gripping a stick.

"You sure? I don't know… I think the yellow drowns out my complexion." Michelangelo eyed the little frog and then threw it back on the bed, grabbing another one from the pile. "What about Mickey? Everyone loves the Mouse, right?" He draped the tie around his neck and turned to look in the mirror while Klunk stood up and stretched, then made his furry little way over to the pile of neckties. The cat leaned down and rubbed his face on the little frog, then flopped over on top of all the silk adornments and started rolling around on them, biting any that tried to get away.

"Dude! You're gonna get hair all over those!" Mikey reached down and plucked the cat up, three ties still clinging to his front paws. "Hey, can I have that one?" Mickey wrestled away a golden tie decorated with little cartoony bumble bees. "Perfect! Thanks, Klunk! Who's the best little kitty? Is it you? Huh, is it?" Mikey snuggled the cat and then tossed him gently back on the bed. He tossed the Mickey Mouse tie back on the bed as well and quickly knotted the little bees around his neck. Flattening it a couple times against his plastron, he then spread his arms out and grinned at Klunk. "Get it? Honey? Bees? Honey bees? Hah! She's gonna love it!"

Michelangelo had finally come to the decision that appearances be damned! He was going to escort Honey home come hell or high water; but preferably the high water one 'cause of the whole being a turtle thing. In all likelihood she wouldn't even notice that there was anything different about him. Love is blind after all, and his plan was to woe her with words, flowers and some chocolate, and she'd fall so hard for him and so fast, that she wouldn't even notice he was a turtle until the fourth date. And if he was _really_ lucky, then maybe she was a subscriber to the infamous three-date rule.

"Mrrr-OOW!" Klunk tumbled off the bed in a tangle of ties and writhed around on the floor attacking every bit of silk that he could see. Ignoring the growls now coming from the floor, Michelangelo turned to a shelf next to the door and looked over the various bottles stashed there.

"Okay… now… you think she's an Old Spice girl? Here, try this." Klunk froze as a misty spray settled over him for a moment, then he sneezed three times in quick succession. He snorted and started batting at his whiskers and shook his head, little bits of kitty drool spattering the ties. "No? Hmm… let's see what else I have…"

After he'd finally selected suitable cologne, Mikey turned to his closet. "Okay… does the trench coat scream 'streaker' too much? I don't want her to think I'm a perv or anything…" He rummaged around toward the back of the small alcove and came out victorious holding a pair of khaki slacks. "Heck yah! Does my butt look fantastic in this or what?" He pulled on the pants and cinched them tight with a belt. "Classy." He pointed to the tie, "And casual!", and then to the loose-fitting khakis. "Klunk, I gotta tell you. She isn't gonna know what hit her. Bam! The radiance that is Michelangelo will sweep that lovely little lady off her feet."

He walked over to a hat rack that held more dents than it did hats. "Now, I really think she's the Indiana Jones type, don't you? Check this out. Ain't I the shizzle?" He plopped the leather hat down on his head and turned in a circle twice. "I am one attractive turtle. Now… to get out of the lair without Leo or Donnie suspecting a thing…"

With his dress attire removed and stored safely in a little duffle bag, along with the little bottle of cologne, Michelangelo slowly crept out his bedroom door and wandered the dimly lit halls and rooms of his home. Every time he heard the slightest squeak or whisper of airflow he stopped, frozen in place for a good ten seconds before he was sure it was safe to move again. Little by little he made his way towards the front entrance of the lair, eyes darting back and forth and taking in every single detail. There was nothing that was going to stop him. Nothing was going to get in his way. The doorknob was only inches away from his hand…

"Michelangelo?"

"WHAT?" He whipped around and pressed his shell up against the door. "I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

Leonardo cocked his head and raised a questioning glance from the doorway in which he stood. His arms were lightly crossed and he was idly tapping one finger against his forearm.

"I _swear_, Leo. It's not what it looks like!"

"What?"

"Not at all!"

"Huh?"

"Um…"

"Okaaay…" Leonardo blinked at his younger brother a few time then shook his head slightly. "Let's try this again. I'm going to say 'Michelangelo', and you're going to respond in a calm and not-suspicious manner. Michelangelo?"

"Um… yes, Leo?"

"Very good. Now… Why, _exactly_, did Klunk run into my room smelling like a department store perfume counter and wearing a Gumby necktie?"

"Maybe he has a date?"

It was a good long minute of staring before Leo spoke again. "I don't really want to know, do I?"

"Do you _ever_? C'mon, Leo; this is me!"

"Either you bath him by morning, or he stays outside until the smell goes away."

"Er.. right! I was just going out to get some shampoo now! He'll be sparkly clean before you know it! Don't worry, Leo, I'm on the job!" Mikey gave his brother a salute and the biggest grin he could manage and then slipped out the door before he could be questioned any further. He took a couple steps, and then broke out into a dead run, still grinning. "Sly like a _fox_!" he shouted to himself as he ran toward Whitewater St. and the Celestial Café, where his date would be waiting.

* * *

**Author Notes:** Okay. This chapter was literally, a year in the making. Good lord. Here's hoping any of you still remember what the heck this story is about, anyway. :) Please leave reviews letting me know what you think and if I might need to post a little refresher/outline of the chapters so far. I know not all of you have time to go back and re-read the whole story, and some of the stuff might be a little confusing. But I THRIVE on reviews. :) They make me feel all warm and squishy inside.

P.S. Yes, Klunk is a male in my world. That's what I remember from the comics, and that's what he'll stay. :)

-=Melodist


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